Old Bones
by Cheeky Trevelyan
Summary: Lana Montgomery is the daughter of Oregon's most notorious senator. Her mother died when she was young, and the only clue to who her mother was is an old photo that links her to a past in Charming. When Lana arrives in Charming secrets start to unravel and it doesn't sit well with everyone in the Club. (Tig/OC)(Hale/OC)
1. Chapter 1 - Seeds

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the SOA franchise; except for Lana (And the Montgomery clan) Rated M for content.

I am 100% appreciative of all of you guys who took the time to check this out. I've been out of the game for some time. Constructive Criticism always welcome - just don't be a dick about it. I will likely revise as I go, because 3rd shift and sleep brain exist.

The story will coincide with the series and build from there. Happy Reading!

* * *

Lana Montgomery was the daughter of Oregon State Senator, Lincoln Montgomery. While being a smart, young, charitable woman - Growing up she'd acquired the reputation of being quite the thorn in her father's side – often ending up on the opposite side of the law. Hoping, however, to follow in her father's steps in politics; Lana had no idea her life would be turned upside down by the discovery of an old box from storage. The box Lana had discovered in storage was full of old journals and photos from a life her mother lived that Lana had no clue existed. Her mother had been gone for almost ten years now and the box probably even older.

A lot of the boxes contents were full of a life that Lana had never heard about. There were old memos and receipts. Titles to numerous vehicles and motorcycles she'd rather see pigs fly than her father ever riding or owning. At the very end of her search, a photo; her mother and friends; family she's never met? The only clue to this secret life was the writing on the back, "Charming." Lana had spent an immeasurable time of her life trying to figure out exactly who her mother was. This had to be the answer. This was her chance to change her life.

Making her way through the cities, Lana picked up as many waitressing jobs as possible on her trip to Charming. She didn't know what was in Charming, or who. She was street savvy enough to know however, that she needed a little financial security to get her there though. She'd spent a month or so in Northern California before finally reaching her destination. This was the city her father forbid her to visit? He warned her that pursuing whatever secrets her mother had kept locked away in that box should stay dead. It wasn't that she was second guessing herself already, but part of her worried about any reputation she may or may not have had entering the city. It was election year after all, and her father was all over the news channels. That could hinder any chance she had at making friends.

Safety aside, Charming was just that, _charming_. Having landed a gig at the local pub bartending – Lana had quickly found herself under the town's spell. It didn't take long before she was able to lean on the townsfolk to answer some questions. The first being the location of the automotive shop in the background of so many photos she'd discovered. **Teller-Morrow**. Everyone in town knew of it. Among the answers given were murmurs about the people that ran it. Criminals. Gang Members. Vigilantes. They certainly had a reputation and the raven haired woman would be lying if ever to admit that she wasn't intrigued by it.

It took a couple of days before Lana mustered up the confidence to check it out, but when Lana had spotted the automotive shop that had been in the background of her mother's old photos, she knew that had to be her first stop.

"Here goes nothing," she whispered under her breath to the reflection staring back at her. It wasn't long before she'd taken notice of all the bikes and the men. There were a lot of men. She was clearly going to have to work hard if she wanted to get any answers around here. Luckily for her – men were her specialty. Most of them only wanted one thing, anyway.

Mustering up enough confidence to get out of the car, she pulled her long raven hair up into a ponytail and tugged a bit at the hem of her shirt. It was clear she didn't fit in here. Most of the women she did see were donned in leather and even more leather boots. No matter what she thought before she arrived or who had opinions about her being here; Charming was her end game.

"Uhm… Hello?" She called out making her way to the open garage door. She stood there watching for a moment before making her way inside what she assumed was the front desk of the shop. "Hi, I'm Lana. I called yesterday about getting a checkup for my car." Inside the office, she was shocked to find an older woman behind the desk. She was beautiful, whoever she was. Their eyes met and Lana smiled. "I didn't mean to interrupt." There was an unmistakable chill in the room and Lana became suddenly shy in its presence.

"Oh. Sorry darling." Gemma stood from her desk and the piles of papers in front threatening to bury her underneath. "Gemma. You said you were…?" Taking a moment to look her over - the elder woman had become frozen at the resemblance the young raven haired woman. Her likeness was similar to someone Gemma hadn't thought about in years. Old ghosts.

"Lana. I think we spoke yesterday?" Lana extended her hand and when it wasn't received the way a handshake normally wouldn't be, she slowly pulled it back and let her hand fall to her side.

"You mentioned that part sweetheart. What can we do for you?" Gemma looked the young girl over and walked out of the office and motioned for one of the guys. Lowell in particular, after a brief introduction moved to take a look at the vehicle she'd arrived in. There was nothing wrong with Lana's car, per say, but a regular checkup couldn't hurt. Any reason to get in the door - she thought. "Just fill these out and the guys will take a look at it for you."

Lana moves quickly to grab the papers and starts to fill them out. Gemma noticed the driver's license she was copying info off of and smirked curious. "What brings you to Charming? You're a long way from home." Leans closer, and smirks again. "Oregon."

"Business," Lana replied before jotting down the rest of the information. She smiled up at Gemma and nervously sighed.

"What kind?"

Lana looks up at her and puckers her lips some, "Yet to be decided."

Placing both hands firmly against her hips; Gemma intently stares at the young girl. "You a cop?" The question didn't offend Lana, it was actually one she got a lot. Nobody felt they could trust her because of her family being in law enforcement – more directly to her brother now being the deputy sheriff.

"No ma'am."

" _Ma'am_." Gemma repeated; the sarcasm in her voice dripping heavily in rebuttle. Lana then reached into her purse and grabbed out the photo. The whole reason she was here.

"Charming '78." She handed the photo over and gave a sheepish grin. "I'm just trying to dig up some old bones." She watched Gemma react to the photo, but remained quiet. The older woman's reaction towards the photo told Lana all she needed to know. They both sat in silence while Gemma held onto the photo tighter. "Nobody knows I'm here. I think if I could find some of these people in this photo…"

"Where did you say you were from again?"

"Oregon. I'm kind of on the lamb. Dad's a politician asshole who wants me dead, my mom's kind of… dead."

"Dead."

"Yeah, that's her." Pointing at her mother in the photo, she glanced again at Gemma. The woman in the photo had an almost identical scar on her chest. She was too afraid to say anything about it though. Partly in fear that she'd find out terrible things about her mom, or that Gemma wasn't as nice as she seemed to be. "Yeah, so… I'm going to find out who she was. I didn't really know her. She had a lot of secrets."

The conversation had ended because Lana heard the loud thunderous roar of bikes coming inside the garage. She watched in awe as the men, all shapes and sizes pulled up and were greeted like war heroes. She carefully took notice of how they treated Gemma. She was like royalty among them. She read the patches on their kuttes and smiled at them as they walked by, none of them really making contact or verbally acknowledging she was even there, except one. Clay had moved away from Gemma when he noticed Lana standing there, not too far away from where they were. She'd been staring at them like some star struck teenage; it was hard not to notice her. "Who's that?"

Gemma swallowed and turned to glance at Lana towards the garage before turning her attention back to her husband for a kiss. "Nobody."


	2. Chapter 2 - Taste of Charming

As unexpected as her arrival in Charming was, Lana's decision to make house was even more surprising. It'd been a few weeks since her initial meeting with Teller-Morrow and who she'd figured out to be one of the people in the photo she'd found in storage. Still, she felt like she had to be here. There was something in Charming that felt familiar. In the few weeks that she'd been living in Charming, Lana had managed to secure a position at one of the bars right outside of town. It was nice. A lot of bikers frequented there, and she felt it was a good chance to get close to Gemma, since she knew all of the bikers at the garage. Working at the bar certainly had its benefits - mostly in the form of company.

"You know," Lana starts before pouring the officer a draft beer. "You come in here every night and this is the first time I think I've ever actually gotten you anything." The raven haired woman stared across the bar into the officers icy blue eyes and couldn't help but smile when their eyes met. " **Its weird**."

Hale's entire demeanor changed when he laughed and Lana took notice of how his head tilted back while he bellowed. It was cute. "You keeping tabs on me?"

"Keeping tabs would insinuate that I care." Lana rested her shoulders on the bar and propped her head up to look at him. Her lips perched open when he slowly licked his lips with his tongue and she gave a defeated shrug. "You remember I told you about my dad and brother?"

"Yeah" Hale had easily become enamored with the raven haired beauty and during the few weeks he'd been coming in had come quite fond of the time they've shared together. In the sense that she was always there when he came in - and she was easy to talk to. He appreciated that she shared stories about her past with him and had hoped it was the start to a long road for them. "I don... I don't think I follow though?"

"You've been in here every day for three weeks. Sometimes two or three times a day." Lana started - this time licking her lips in response. "You've made a habit out of not drinking, so I had just assumed maybe you had a bad day?" Leaning back against the bar - Lana was quick to keep eye contact with the man. Deputy Hale had been a quick friend to make. It just so happened that her connection to the Oregon PD was a perfect way to build trust. He made her feel comfortable and that said a lot about who he was as a person. "Wanna talk about it?"

Lana had told the officer stories about growing up with her father - how she often felt like an inconvenience, or thorn in his side. He could appreciate that Lana's father probably taught her more than she probably was willing to admit though. Running a hand across his now smug smirk - Hale shook his head. "I don't want to bore you with how my day went ary. It's better now anyway."

Catching a slight twinkle in his eye, Lana blushed a little and found herself teetering on a line that was either too bold, or not bold enough. "You know, I don't ask just anybody about their day. Only people I like." That caught a curious head cock from Hale.

"So you like me?" Hale couldn't help but blush before moving his thumb up the handle of his mug. He didn't even drink beer. Not really.

"Did I say that?" Grinning from ear to ear, Lana turned away from him and went back to cashing out her drawer to turn it over to the next shift. She didn't even have to be facing him to feel his eyes on her backside. "Hey, I don't think I've ever even told you my name." The both of them stared blankly at one another and Hale just leaned in - having already asked the other barmaids about their newest addition. "I'm Lana, by the way. I'm pretty sure I lied about who I was when we first met." Extending her hand to him, she couldn't help but grin when he shook it. "It's nice to officially meet you."

"Oh, I _know_ who you are." Hale's tone was to the point, but something about it relaxed her. "Cute girl gets hired in at one of the local bars - hard not to notice."

"So you think I'm cute?" Lana joked turning the flirting nature of the conversation back on him.

"Did I say that?" Hale smirked before reaching over for a napkin. He quickly jotted down his number for her, "So I was wondering if maybe you…" Hale cleared his throat and set his beer aside having no interest in drinking it anyway. "There's this thing in town."

"Yeah?" Curious.

"It's an event Gemma Morrow does for the town. The Taste of Charming. She raises money for the school district." Lana's smile was contagious and he couldn't help but do the same. "Think about it." This was the first real time anybody's been genuinely nice to her since before her arrival in Charming.

"Can I just meet you there?" Walking over to the patron side of the bar Lana nodded her head and leaned in next to him. She'd been genuinely curious about the event and knowing Officer Hale a little more personally. "I kind of have to do this thing before.."

"I'm afraid to ask."

"Then don't," Lana smirked before picking up the pile of money he'd placed down next to him. It was enough for his tab and a hefty tip - which she appreciated.

* * *

Hours had passed and Lana found herself back at Teller Morrow. The young woman had made a point to find any and all reasons to return since her first meeting she'd held with Gemma. Things between the duo had quickly turned to some sort of hero worship for the younger. She saw how these men - Samcro - were treated and more importantly how Gemma had been treated by them. She was truly a queen among men. It was hard not to want that for herself.

Standing at the entrance of the clubhouse - Piney had eyes on the young woman while she watched the men work. He was curious, but waited a few moments before walking over. Gemma was out for the day - spending time at the hospital with the grandkid. Piney had every inkling in his mind to kick this broad out of TM with the way she was eyeballing everything. Still - he was in charge of the garage while Gemma wasn't there and he'd suddenly remembered seeing her there before; a few times.

"Can I help you?"

Caught off guard and slightly embarrassed - Lana turned quickly to the voice behind her. "Oh uh," Extending her hand. "I'm Lana," She could quickly see that he didn't care who she was and could slowly feel the beginning of a panic attack threaten. Her natural defense mechanism was to lie, so she did just that. "My car," She points behind her towards the general direction of the parking lot. "I was here a couple of weeks ago and it's been knocking ever since. I think maybe I've got a cracked axle or something?

The bullshit seemed to spew from her mouth the more threatened she felt, but for whatever reason - Piney seemed impressed and looked behind her at the vehicle. "You know about cars?"

"No," Lana laughed - grasping at straws wherever she could. " _BUT,_ it is knocking and I was hoping to get it looked at. The knocking, it's more annoying than anything."

Yeah, Piney slowly nodded his head before staring her down. He could smell the shit just as fast as the rest of em' and for whatever reason knew he was being fed a load of bull. Still, hoping to give the young woman a chance at redemption - the old man lead her into the office. "So what are you really doing here?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Slamming the door defensively behind them, Piney moved to lock it. Lana gave a worried look and he noticed the expression on her face tighten. Before she had a chance to say another word - Piney had pulled his gun and shoved it in her face. "Who are you? You have thirty seconds. Start talking."

"Jesus Christ!" Panicked, the raven haired woman's eyes went wider than she ever thought possible. "Okay... I...Uhm" her voice cracked and she was visibly shaken by what was transpiring between them. She was only looking for Gemma. This was definitely a warning that she chose to ignore when Hale had given it earlier in the week. "I'm Lana Montgomery - Mmm..my mom was Lori Roberts Montgomery." Piney wasn't budging, but Lana could tell he knew who her mother was. "I came here to find out about her life in Charming - please don't shoot me. Please."

Piney slowly brought the gun down and softly placed it down on the table. He stared at the girl and it took a few minutes for him to process what she'd just said to him. After several minutes of silence between them - Lana swallowed hard. "You know who she is... don't you?"

"Yeah kid..." Piney stared at her without breaking face and he lets out a heavy sigh. "You should get out of here. We'll take a look at your car some other time." When he unlocked and opened the door - Lana didn't hesitate to excuse herself from the office. Piney kept eye on her and watched as she got in her car and drove away.

* * *

The Taste of Charming. Lana couldn't help but think the title was a little facetious. There were people setting up booths all over the place and she gave a slight wave when she noticed Hale and the Charming PD were in the process. The more she observed, the more she noticed businesses from town were taking part in this. Maybe this wasn't as silly as she thought. Instead of walking over towards Hale she took a detour towards the Samcro Chili Booth where Gemma and another woman were talking.

"Gemma."

"Oh hey April, appreciate you coming to help."

"No problem. Can I ask you something?" The brunette woman asked Gemma.

"What?"

"Charlie's band's playing during the fireworks tomorrow night. He really wants his dad to come."

"Oh shit April. I don't think Clay's gonna…" Lana waited beside the booth and watched the interaction; clearly out of the loop as to why Clay would have any say in this woman's husband could come. "I'll talk to him later on today."

"That was really nice of you." Lana finally spoke, taking note of the blonde woman beside Gemma and Gemma herself. Neither looked happy to see her. "What you did for that woman."

"You lost?" The blonde spoke, her tongue sharp as she stepped in front of Gemma. Was this for real? Did Lana appear threatening? If she did, the mere thought of it was enough to make her laugh; a notion that wasn't well received by either woman. When Gemma didn't speak, Lana only assumed she was being tested by her. She didn't back down though, even stood a little taller.

"I'm Lana." Extending her hand, she looked to both women. "We haven't met yet."

Before Luann could speak up – Gemma cleared her throat and introduced her friend. This exchange clearly wasn't doing either party any good. "This is Luann Delaney. You need anything darling?"

"No." Lana stood straight and shook her head. "I just wanted to say hello." She didn't hide the fact that there may have been more she needed to say, but was smart enough to know how and when to choose her battles. She had to find Hale anyway, so talking to Gemma would have to wait. The raven haired woman was still pretty new to everything and everyone here. She made friends with the people that worked at the police station because those were the people she was used to being in the presence of. Earlier in the week when she'd asked about Teller Morrow and more importantly, Gemma - neither Hale nor Unser wanted to tell her much about either. She decided not to press it, but it was a conversation she'd revisit sooner or later.

* * *

Hale had caught up with Lana halfway through the evening and apologized for how off putting her may have seemed earlier during their visit. The young woman didn't mind, or seemed to have any issue with their afternoon at the bar. She was only concerned with the moment at hand. "So you never finished telling me about Teller Morrow. Samcro?" Lana was... persistent at best.

"You know what I want to talk about?" Hale questioned before nudging her slightly - his best foot forward in an attempt to divert the conversation to something that wasn't what he currently hated. "I was bummed this afternoon because I found out Unser is staying on and I'm not getting my promotion."

"Oh no," Lana showing genuine concern and sadness stopped in her tracks and placed her hand on Hale's arm to comfort him. "I'm really sorry Hale, I know you were looking forward to that." Hale tensed at her touch and looked down into her eyes. The lights reflecting the blue in them to the point that they looked white. Angelic almost. "Can you fight it?"

"It's more an issue internally. I know Unser is in the Samcro pocket..." Hale stopped himself before grimacing apologetically. "There's this case, some girl, 13. She was raped and none of this shit sits easy. You know that." She did, she could remember almost every awful case her father had growing up and how deeply it affected him and everyone around him. "This is boring, I'm boring you."

"No!" Lana exclaimed before gripping his arm tighter. "I like this," She smiled up at him and his lips were perched tight when he caught her gaze. "I want hear about it, really." Lana glanced up at him with a wide grin. "Don't ever stop sharing parts of your life." Hale was taken aback by her, and mused about how this wasn't the first time either. He really had growing feelings for the young woman and hoped he wouldn't scare her away.

"You want **me** to share my life with **you**." The tone of his voice was clear and matter of fact and Lana couldn't help but feel a small twinge in her stomach for him. He made her nervous. He didn't used to, but something's changed. She _liked_ him.

"Well, yeah." Lana stated before moving her hand from his arm and capturing his hand with hers. She held her breath for a second when he tightened the grip of her fingers with his. "I like you Hale." There was a few moments of silence before Hale and Lana had both accepted this for what it was.

"Okay."

"Okay."

* * *

The rest of the night had progressed unassumingly how it was supposed to go. She'd never been to something like this. Sure Oregon had its festivals, but there was something illusive about small town gatherings. Spotting Gemma cleaning up and decided to take the time to walk over, she was alone this time, which was nice. No crazy or angry eyes. She gave a small wave as she slowly walked over. "Hi Gemma."

Gemma glanced up and then proceeded to clean up. "Oh hey darling." Instead of picking up the conversation or moving it towards the fact that Gemma was in fact the 'other' woman in the photo with her mom, she just followed Gemma's lead and did what she did. There was a certain grace she radiated doing something as simple as wiping a table off. Man, she was envious of that. Lana got caught up in it fast, and had almost missed Gemma following up with another question. "How do you think Charming is treating you?"

Smiling, "Gemma. How do you know my mo…" Before she could finish her very important question, Hale had snuck up from behind and wrapped his arm around Lana's waist. It was a genuine touch that most girls would have probably felt comfortable with, but if her expression didn't scream it – her physical reaction did. Pushing Hale back, she jumped. "GOD! You can't just do that to people!"

"Sorry." Hale apologized amidst a roar of laughter, when he saw that she wasn't laughing, he straightened up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Whatever. I'm fine."

"You okay darling?" Gemma looked at Hale and then back at Lana. This wasn't a pair she saw coming. She wasn't upset by it though, which shocked even her. Still Lana was new to Charming - she didn't trust anybody that cozied up to the cops first.

"I said I was fine. I would just like to finish this…" points between the two women. "If that's okay? I could stop by later or…"

"Yeah, come by later." Gemma said watching as she and Hale walked away. "I promise to tell you everything." They were already long gone before Gemma said it, but Lana struck a chord with her. Made her think about people she'd forgotten.

* * *

Gemma had made good on her promise and had given Lana a call when it was good for her to come over. The guys were out doing club things and it was just Gem and her birds. Pouring the both of them a cup of coffee neither woman said a word. The tension was thick and almost unbearable. Somebody had to talk first.

"How do you know my mom, Gemma?" It was the whole reason Lana had found herself in Charming. The picture could have been nothing, but the reaction it got from her father, Gemma, Unser - and most recently Piney – it had to mean something. Part of her had expected Gemma to spin a story; the same part of her almost _wanting_ one. Charming was the last link she had to her mother – what would happen if she didn't like what she heard?

"What'd you come all this way for darling?"

"I don't know her." Lana licked her lips before clasping her hands together on the table. "I want to know her… I found this box my dad was just going to throw away and; I don't know her." Lana pulls out the photo again and sets in on the table. "Who **am** I?"

The words echoed through Gemma's home and the silence between the two of them didn't live long. Gemma had agreed to tell Lana some truths, and she would. These weren't just Lana's truths, but Gemma's as well. "Lori Gene. She was at that time my best friend." Gemma smiled down at the photo. In it a much younger version of herself, John, Clay and Lana's mother all sharing a warm embrace. "She fell in love with some asshole cop and he took her out of Charming. Away from this life. Your dad hated us. This life… it ain't for us all. Your mom knew that, and I think that's why she left when she did."

"You knew my dad?" Leaning forward, Gemma now had Lana's full attention.

She nods and lets out a sigh. "It broke my heart. John. Clay. We all loved her. She just _left_." Lana made note of the facial expressions that were coming off of Gemma. They were sincere, which was unexpected. "She never looked back, for good reason I suppose. She had you." Gemma smiled and looked down at the picture again. "I knew who you were the second you walked into that garage." Looks up and smiles. "You look just like her."

"She killed herself when I was twelve." Lana didn't know why she told Gemma this, just that she felt she needed to. She retold the events of her death, being so young and finding her. "She seemed so happy, you know?" Lana smiled and shrugged. "In these photos and old letters I'd read. What killed her?"

"I don't know baby."

"Why does my dad hate Charming so much?"

"You'd have to ask him that."

Lana glances at her and smirks. "You have no clue? Did you want my mom to leave with him? Why is her life here some big secret? Even he won't tell me about it."

"I'm sorry darling, some secrets are just meant to stay buried. We'd lost touch and I didn't know who she was anymore. We just grew up to be different people." Gemma got up from the table and refilled both cups.

"You gonna tell me why you're…on the lamb." There was a shared smirk between the ladies and Lana nodded her head. Lana had revealed a lot of things about her family that she hadn't been able to share with anybody. Growing up with a brother and father who constantly abuse her, mentally and physically. How her father would always manage to track her down when she'd run away in the past. Rather than compare physical scars, Gemma had given Lana a chance to share some of her deeper ones.

The two of them had spent the next hour or so chatting with one another. Lana confiding in a mother she never had, and Gemma with an old friend she missed. Neither one having noticed Clay and Tig walking through the door until Tig made a comment about Lana that wasn't the most flattering of statements.

"Oh hey baby." Gemma smiled before leaning up to kiss Clay. "Tiggy." Lana had looked up at Tig, and then again at Clay. The four of them didn't speak until Lana cleared her throat.

"I'm gonna go." Lana quickly said before standing up, Neither Clay nor Lana uttered a single word to the other. He was still staring at her, and she knew Clay saw what Gemma did. Like with Gemma, there was something familiar about him. Like, she needed to open some old wounds. Another time. She wasn't ready for Clay.

.


	3. Chapter 3 - Birthday Stahl

Taking Lana under her wing, Gemma had pushed the Club on the young woman as much as possible. Anytime something in town was being done for the 'club' Lana was asked to take part. Lana had become more and more comfortable with the club and its members since pouring her soul out to Gemma. Their relationship had quickly grown from a mutual respect to one a mother might have with her daughter at this stage in both their lives. Clay had vocalized that it wasn't the smartest thing having her hanging around; something that both Hale and Unser agreed with.

Despite what seemed like endless arguing over the influence a club like Samcro could have on Lana – she was smart enough to choose her battles. Today wasn't one of them. _Today_ was her birthday. Today was also… an anniversary of sorts. She and Hale were just shy of two months of dating. Letting Hale win the argument the night before about her befriending the Club had its benefits. Guilt of hurting her feelings had weighed heavy on him. Flowers delivered to her home, her favorite coffee and danish served to her at the local café they had recently started going to. Still, their morning had been mysterious and every message she'd received from Hale had been very cryptic. He was usually so stiff; and she couldn't hide that she was turned on by this side of him.

The both of them had built a relationship based off of friendship. A friendship that quickly blossomed in the eyes of the whole town. Laughing, Lana tried her best to keep steady putting one foot forward. "I'm pretty sure this is a form of kidnapping." Her eyes were covered by Hales hands and both of them giggling like school kids. There was a certain innocence to the pair.

"I'm gonna look."

"You better not. I swear… you'll never forgive yourself!" the raven haired woman could hear the mischievousness in Hale's voice and it nearly made her come undone.

"Okay, I'm going to look."

"Lana Jean Montgomery, you better not even take a peek." Smiling, she kept her eyes shut and reached for him. It was a comfort for her when he grabbed ahold of her hand in whatever manner he could so that her eyes still remained hidden. He'd been sweet on her ever since she stepped foot in Charming and he'd shown her a comfort nobody else in this town had. She needed that. She was even thankful for it more times than not. Her first couple months in Charming would have been quite lonely without him there. "We're almost there."

"Good, because you have three more minutes before I open my eyes. I feel like I'm being led to my death." When she hears silence, she laughs. "Wait… _Am_ I?"

"Just…" Annoyed, he stops walking and moves to block her view. Slowly removing the cover on her eyes he leans in and presses his lips softly against hers. Hale had been wary of pursuing anything outside of friendship with her when she arrived. She was vocal about a lot of things in her past with him, and it terrified him. It was actually Unser that had pushed the both of them together. Surprising on his part, but something Hale was thankful for. "We're here."

She removed her hands away from his and opened her eyes. She was surrounded by woodland area, a comfort she'd revealed to him in their earlier friendship. There was something serene about being in the woods - she couldn't explain it. It was hard to hide the shock in her expression while she took it all in. The effort was worthy of way more than she'd ever really thought to give him. Whilst looking around and taking in her surroundings, she smiled seeing his home. The atmosphere of a backyard turned into everything out of a romance novel. White flowers - roses maybe. Lights perfectly placed and wrapped around as many trees as they could reach.

"I... Hale," There was a twinkle in his eye when she looked up at him and it was enough to make her cheeks turn a soft shade of red. "You did all of this for me?" This exact moment was usually when she'd found herself running away from most of her past relationships. This intimacy didn't come without a price. Not in her experience anyway. "Nobody's ever made me feel special like this before."

Tilting his head down towards her he lets out a soft breath of air against her face before leaning down to kiss her. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he wanted to share. It was insane to him that nobody had ever gone out of their way to make her feel special, because she was. To him anyway. " **Happy Birthday Lana Jean**."

It was hard not to get lost in the moment. Kissing him had erased every negative thought she'd ever had about the men in her life. She was protected and felt safe and the way he held on to her - she knew Hale was a good guy. The soft kisses between the pair had slowly escalated into heavy petting and Lana could feel herself becoming wetter the rougher Hale's tough was against her. Hale moved his hand from her neck and ran them along her sides - mapping out every curve. Lana moaned when he pressed his wet cold lips against the skin on her shoulder.

" _You're perfect_ ," Hale whispered before pushing her softly against the tree behind her. His touch had become more demanding as their tongues wrestled one another for dominance. Bringing his hand down to the hem of her dress he slowly lifted the fabric up to her waist. "I want to taste you..." Lana let out a small groan when he broke their kiss and moved down to his knees. They'd never been intimate this way and the weeks of pent up sexual frustration was bound to boil over. Being out in the public only intensified every tingle in both their bodies.

Hale pressed kisses softly against Lana's thighs before moving to take hold of the fabric of her panties. He quickly rid them of her body and folded them up so they fit perfectly in his pocket. With lust filled eyes, Lana bore into him wanting all of this. All of him. He gently rubbed her and smirked a little at how wet she'd already been. He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

Lana's birthday had been interrupted by Hale receiving a call from the station. He only described it as, 'police business' while apologizing profusely to the woman. Lana had been dripping in ecstasy when the call came in and begged for him to ignore it. Still, 'police business' had quickly translated to Samcro and she was intelligent enough to figure out it was one of his tells. It was a line she knew she couldn't cross, and wanted to prove to him that it was a rule of his she even respected.

In an attempt to keep whatever 'good' feeling she had about all of this, Lana took it upon herself to just finish the afternoon at the station. She knew he would probably be there late. Her nostrils flared as her teeth clenched when she saw Hale talking to a woman. A blonde. Probably a coworker or someone by the way she carried herself. Lana took quick notice of the way the woman was speaking to him. She was baiting him. Or belittling him; Lana couldn't decide which. Hale, like most men probably, was her pawn.

Before she could process everything she was watching- both the woman and Hale were walking towards her direction. Lana took note of the crazed look on the now, noticeably blonde woman's face. The two of them were clearly arguing. Neither slowed their feet walking towards the front of the station nor even acknowledged that she was there. She opened her mouth to say something, but by the time she found her voice - they were both inside.

" _What the hell just happened?"_ Upset, Lana decided it was probably best just to go home. A sentiment Hale shared because he didn't chase after her or call to explain what had just happened.

* * *

Lana had quickly become a creature of habit, especially when it came to the Charming PD. If Hale wasn't going to share information with her on Samcro, she figured the only way around the issue was to force his hand. Luckily for her; Unser favored her and gave her small jobs here and there. Even she thought this was a little presumptuous on her part. She wasn't jealous of Hale spending all of his time with Stahl, but she wasn't _**not**_ jealous about the two of them spending countless hours together either. Still, her experience working in a police station back home in Oregon came in handy. It didn't take long to find out every single member of Samcro had a record, _even_ Gemma. Lana soaked up information like a sponge; one sheet of paper after the next; she was truly a kid in a candy store.

"What's he doing here?" Gemma asked, and Lana looked up from the behind Unser's desk. What was Gemma doing here?

"The feds are grilling him." Lana walked out of the office and watched the exchange between the two in horror.

 **"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO**?" Clay screamed coming from a room where Hale had been interrogating him. Lana locked eyes with him for a second before looking away towards Gemma.

"THE SAME THING YOU DID. NAILED SOME LITTLE TART FROM NEVADA."

"LIKE I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SHIT OOZING OUT MY EARS, YOU GOTTA GO AND DO THIS!"

"SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOUR DICK WENT ON A CHEERLEADER HUNT!"

"HEY! I DIDN'T TELL HER TO COME HERE!"

"BUT SHE'S HERE!"

"THAT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

"AND IT'S NOT MY PUSSY!" Lana had been relieved in a sense that Gemma had gotten the final word in before they finally booked her and put her in a cell. Without realizing it, she found herself standing side by side with Stahl who mentioned being single because of reasons like what had just happened. Lana rushed back into Unser's office and put all the files she may or may not have been privy to away before going to find Gemma. Whatever just happened, was bad.

* * *

Inside her cell, Gemma shared a cigarette courtesy of Hale. "What?" he finally asked in an attempt to break the silence. Gemma clearly had something on her mind, and it was unusual for her not to speak it.

"What do the feds want with Clay?" Hale danced around giving Gemma an answer and Lana almost snickered in the doorway. At least he was consistent in his delivery when it came to answering questions about Samcro. _No matter who was on the receiving end._ He didn't say a word to Lana when he finally realized someone had been standing there, Gemma quickly took notice of the behavior. _Strange_.

"What are you doing here Gemma?" Lana asked watching Hale leave the two of them to talk. "What happened? That argument between you and Clay…"

"I could ask you the same thing." Gemma's tone was cold and Lana wasn't naive when it came to noticing that right away. Crossing her arms over her chest, both women stared at the other waiting for one to make a move against the other.

"I work he…"

"You said you **weren't** a cop."

Opening her mouth to speak, Lana took a step back really thinking about what to say. The next words she chose had to be smart. "I'm not a cop."

" _Yeah_." Gemma sarcastically rebutted before pressing her head back against the wall. "I've got nothing to say to you." Just like that, Lana could only do one thing to win Gemma over, and in an attempt to stay face and keep Gemma in her corner, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I know what the feds want with Clay. That woman out there?" Lana pointed towards the general vicinity of the door and then looked back at Gemma. "Stahl. She's bad news. I don't trust her. I'm not a cop, but I listen and I observe... everything and everyone." The lie had come to formation in the span of thirty seconds and that terrified Lana by the time she finished. Her body was stiff, and she made sure any tells she had had been hidden away when Gemma stared at her. "I could help the club by being here." She couldn't. "By being locked away doing filing in these old dusty offices."

Gemma's interest had been piqued, and for some reason all Lana could do was continue talking. To build on the lie she'd already started. "There's another guy here… from Chicago. He's looking into Samcro, but I'm not sure how the both of them connect. I'm still learning my way around whose information is worth extracting, and whose should stay buried in these old walls."

"Hale?"

"He doesn't think my poking around will lead to anything good. We've been fighting a lot lately. Since the night of my birthday. I think walking away from it now would be better for the both of us. Less messy, ya know?" Lana gave a heavy sigh, not really sure if she believed that or not. All she could do was shrug her shoulders at Gemma, who was now intently listening to her every word. "What you and Clay have… I want that. The way you carry yourself around this town? I want a part of that. Hale doesn't understand…"

"Well he isn't that smart to begin with." Gemma smiled and nodded her head in agreement to all of this. She wasn't sure which parts were concocted on her behalf, but she wasn't mad at Lana. She didn't start her day mad at her, anyway. "Tell you what darling… when all of this blows over, come over to the clubhouse. I'll introduce you to the family."

* * *

Leaving her conversation with Gemma, Lana had felt pretty confident. If only every interaction she had with people in Charming had gone this well, she'd be set. Any guilt she'd felt for lying had quickly faded away and been justified by Gemma's approval. It was weird in a way, but she needed it. She was vindicated by it. Walking back into Unser's office, the raven haired woman nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Hale's voice behind her. "You think walking away from this would be better for both of us?" He shut the door behind him and closed the blinds. "Lana, I heard every word you said in there. You're trying to play both sides by being here? With me?"

Fuck. The anger in his voice radiated pretty heavily towards her and Lana knew she'd messed up. "You were listening?" Lana didn't want to believe that Hale had been eavesdropping; but somehow knew he would be. "David I..."

"You what?" Hale had leaned up against the door and folded his arms. Between Unser refusing to step down and Stahl over stepping every boundary set in place; this was the last thing he needed. She was supposed to be different. She **was** different. She wasn't supposed to be tainted by the filth in Charming, but there she was scheming and assuring Gemma her being in the station could benefit the club. She was no better than Unser. His mind went wild but he couldn't process words. He was angry, more than angry. Livid. Disgusted. Hurt. "I can't... I can't even look at you Lana."

"Please say something," the woman whispered before moving to touch his arm. She knew she messed up, she was ready to admit that, she didn't want to lose Hale. She was ready to give up Samcro and building a relationship with Gemma for him. "I just... I say stupid shit. I don't know why I said it!" Lana exclaimed, knowing she lied to Gemma.

"Do you think walking away from this right now would be better for the both of us?" His tone was monotone and it scared her. There was no emotion behind it. Cop talk, is what Lana used to call it growing up.

"Hale..." Lana stared up at him, pleadingly with tear filled eyes. "I..."

"You should go." Hale moved from in front of the door and Lana took a step towards him. "You sounded **just like her** in that cell. You should be proud of yourself. A month hanging around her every whim and you're already picking up her mannerisms." Hale had taken the time to examine her for a second.

"You left," she whispered, looking down at her feet in defeat referring to her birthday and the fight they'd had by the end of it. "You refused to help me find things out about my mom, so I found a way to help myself. I'm not sorry for it."

"Samcro is going to lead you down a road you don't want to be on. I've seen it." Hale whispered, his disappointment only turning to compassion, what was left of it anyway. It killed him to see her upset, or to know that in some ass backwards way - he was the one who caused it. "Clay will get you killed if he finds out anything you don't want him to know."

"I came to Charming to dig up some old bones... maybe find out a truth or two of my own while I'm here. I'm really sorry you couldn't stick it out. What Stahl is doing..."

"Her job. Stahl is doing her job." Hale retorted before taking a step towards her. "Samcro are the bad guys here. Why are you so damn sure that they aren't? Use your brain Lana!"

"Yeah."

The sound of betrayal lingered in her voice and he moved out from in front of the door and took a step towards her. Lana was quick to notice the tense space between them growing increasingly small. The more he stepped towards her, the more she could feel his breath against her skin. She could feel every rough edge on his skin when he stroked her cheek. The space between them had closed when she leaned up and kissed him. To comfort the situation, or what was left of it, he gently kissed her forehead knowing that this was the end. They were done.

"Goodbye Lana Jean."


	4. Chapter 4 - Better Half

**Authors Note** : Someone had noted that Lana has a bit of hero worship when it comes to Gemma – _That's exactly right!_ I appreciate everyone taking the time to read this and really giving great feedback as far as what's going on, what you want to see happen, etc. This next chapter is mainly Lana's work towards proving to the club that she can be trusted on some level. She's a lot more like Gemma without even realizing it and I think that parallels the level of hero worship quite well!

 _Also_ someone wanted me to kind of describe Lana in a little more detail. Think  Katrina Law from Spartacus/Arrow – because that's who she's molded after appearance-wise. Also my choice of casting, haha!

Again here's a short one, but a good one. I appreciate you guys! Thanks for reading.

* * *

The breakup with Hale had weighed heavy on Lana's mind. The reality of the situation had proven that it was for the best. Lana couldn't unlock secrets from her past by denying Samcro wasn't linked to it. Hale didn't want her to get hurt. His words about Clay getting her killed still echoed in her mind. Lana had been in Charming for a few months now and one thing she'd learned about Samcro and her past – was that all roads led to Clay Morrow.

Lana had taken Gemma up on her offer of coming over to the club several times after she'd made it. It was actually nice to watch the boys come and go at the garage. Endearing almost; to want to believe nothing out of the ordinary was going behind closed doors.

When Lana pushed to know more, Gemma let her in. She'd quickly taken up a sort of apprenticeship and helped Gemma out with the books for Teller-Morrow. The men had taken notice and started acknowledging her presence rather than treat her like the girl who dated Hale. She wanted to prove to everyone that she could be trusted. Gemma warned it wouldn't be easy, and it wasn't. There was nothing easy about proving to a group of outlaws – that you weren't the enemy.

Everything from Lana's outlook on the club to her appearance had been modified to suit what she thought would benefit her. Her normally slick back raven haired ponytail had been left to blow wild in the wind. She traded in her blazer for a leather jacket, and while black was already a strong color in her arsenal of fashion – leather boots weren't. _How did people walk around in these all day?_

With both arms full, Lana walks into the clubhouse and sets a bag of groceries down the bar. "Gemma asked me to pick some things up. Is she here?" Her attention went from the bags to the empty clubhouse and then back to club member Piney. He kind of reminded her of grumpier old men, but Lana liked him. Maybe even more so since the gun to the face incident.

"She's out darling." He watched her look around and smiled. When he first met her, he just assumed she was like every other crow eater that walked into this clubhouse. He was quick to learn that she was smart and incredibly stubborn, just like her mother. "You might want to come back in a few hours."

"I'll wait." Piney watched as she helped herself to a beer before she started putting away some of the things she'd gotten. "Are you hungry? I picked up some snacks." He didn't answer her because he was too busy observing exactly what it was he was watching. Lana glanced up and couldn't hide the faint sign of a smile, but Piney still just sat quiet. "Old ghosts," Lana finally said, calmly.

"I'm sorry?"

"The way you're looking at me." Lana smiled and moved the plate of meat and cheese in between them. She didn't realize up until now that Hale had mentioned Piney being around as long as Clay. Longer, even. "It's the same way everyone here looks at me. Like I'm some kind of old ghost everyone forgot. You said you knew her..."

"Something like that." Piney finally spoke before humoring the girl and helping himself to the spread she'd just made. "You have something you want to say, say it." Lana did have something to say, she had a lot to say. The window had been opened and she was ready to jump through it.

"I…" Her words; she couldn't find them and her entire throat felt dry as panic set in.

"She used to do what you just did." Piney spoke and his tone had been soft and welcoming almost. His eyes were large, and a small level of excitement appeared in his eyes. "She'd come in through those doors and without question do what you just did. I always knew she'd be a great mom by how she always made sure we were taken care of. Sure you look like her, I'm sure you know that. You got a couple of her mannerisms too, and it caught me off guard, is all. Now, I'm not going to sit here with you and walk down memory lane, or whatever it is you're expecting, just, something worth pointing out."

"You know that's the first time anyone's even willingly talked about her without my poking and prodding." Lana reaches over and gives his hand a firm squeeze. "Thanks Piney. Whoever she was to you… I just hope your eyes light up the way they just did when you talk about me one day." Lana smiled at him and checked her watch. "I should go find Gemma. Thank you."

"I didn't do anything." Lana didn't respond. He did a lot more than he realized, and the kindness he spoke with, said a lot more than he even revealed. It was nice to know that her mother was so well liked. Outside of her initial departure of Charming, Lana had yet to hear anything awful about her.

* * *

An hour or so later, Lana had caught up with Gemma at the grocery store. She walked alongside her and the two made small talk until Cherry came up and revealed that the ATF had been targeting all the women. Even when Gemma had reassured the girl that it was a scare tactic, it didn't reassure neither Lana nor Cherry that this would blow over quick. Lana needed to keep a low profile at all costs.

Lana watched as Cherry had taken out one of the ATF officers and not more than thirty seconds later be caught and handcuffed. Gemma's disapproval was evident, and Lana followed suit by mimicking the notion when Stahl walked right towards where they were standing.

"Hard to find good help these days." Stahl's pierced lips gave out a devious grin and every part of her body was taunting Gemma.

"I know what you mean." Gemma stepped in front of Lana and leaned in towards Stahl. "That little tart doesn't know anything."

"What about the porn star? We got her in custody too."

"She could probably teach you how to give a great hummer. But something tells me you got that covered."

"I get by." Stahl glanced behind Gemma and when Lana made eye contact with her, she quickly looked away. Stahl was a vulture and Lana could easily become her prey if she wasn't careful.

"Picking off the ones that have the most to lose." Gemma smirks, pushing back just as quick. " Smart. That's how I'd do it."

"Yeah, I've seen you in action." Stahl and Gemma had shared a few more words with one another before she moved on to Lana. Expected, but a small part hoping she'd just leave her alone. "I don't see it."

"See what?" Lana chided, her fists clenching. Everything about this exchange seemed threatening to her. She hated that Stahl had some weird hold over Hale. That she'd been playing into his 'good cop' lifestyle and taking advantage of him. "You gonna try to bully me now too?"

"Not yet." Stahl clapped her hands together and gave her biggest smile. "Ladies," she moved past Gemma and Lana both before stopping in her steps and looking back. Lana knew that look. It was like Stahl had just peed on everything to mark her territory. To let Lana know that she was watching, or that she knew something.

"Bitch."


	5. Chapter 5 - The Sleep of Babies

Lana grinned from ear to ear when she heard Clay announce that Otto did a number on Agent Stahl's face. There was a small hint of satisfaction in hearing that. The next few minutes had been a whirlwind for her. One minute they were all laughing, and shooting the shit; she for once, fitting in with some of the other girls. Then, Juice warning of the cops, and them barging through the doors. Almost everyone in the clubhouse had been forced to the ground. Lana had clipped her face on the corner of the table on the way down, and all she could hear was Hale over everyone screaming. _Samcro will lead you down a road you don't want to be on_. Lana watched as they arrested Bobby and how quickly everyone's minds stirred to figure out what had just happened. - Her own mind mixed with fear and stunned silence.

"You cut yourself pretty good darling." Gemma pushed a wet cloth against the skin on Lana's forehead with one hand and lit a cigarette with the other.

"I'm fine. What can I do?" Lana asked, not sure if that was even the right thing to ask at this moment.

"Let the club handle it. It's our job to manage all of this. Theirs to figure shit out." Gemma moved the cloth from Lana's head and put a hand on her hip. The same way a mother would while lecturing a child. "You should go home. Come on, I'll have Half-Sack drive you."

"Gemma, I can help."

"And just how do you think you can do that? Hale won't let you step three feet from that station since he found out you were stealing files. How do you think Clay would feel if I told him those files you were stealing were on them guys in there? On him?" Gemma stared down Lana and all the raven haired woman could do was stand down. It was a respect thing more than anything. When they heard fighting from inside the chapel both Gemma and Lana moved towards the door. First, with Jax storming out; and then, Tig. Gemma looked inside for a moment before following after Jax, but not before telling Lana to leave, again.

Like an upset child would, Lana stormed out, frustrated with the situation forcing back a temper tantrum. She could help. She **knew** she could help. Outside she saw Tig sitting on his bike, clearly upset by something that happened inside between he and Jax. Half-Sack was supposed to take her home, but she wasn't willing to wait. "Hey, you mind giving me a lift?"

Tig looked her up and down and thought about it for a second. He didn't know much about Lana, and just like Clay, he didn't trust her. "I don't think so."

Really? With her eyes blocking the sun, Lana rolled her eyes and moved her hands down to her sides, defeated. "Forget I asked. I'll walk." This is what she had every intention of doing when she started for the exit. Her place wasn't that far and she probably needed the exercise.

"Hey! Get on." Tig hollered out to her, moving his bike at the same pace as she was walking. Guilt, or whatever had made him show a bit of compassion and give her a lift. Lana hesitated a bit before getting on the bike. She nervously wrapped one arm around him, and then the next. It was her first time on a bike.

The whole ride had a euphoric feeling; one that Lana was surprised to not want to give up so quickly. When Tig had turned off the bike, she felt kind of awkward when she realized she was still holding on to him. "Uhm… thanks."

Tig waited until she got off the bike before he followed suit. He looked up at the house and then back at her. "You live here by yourself doll?"

"Yeah, I actually found out that my m… I got a good deal." Lana shrugged before looking back at him nervously. "Do you… want to come in? I don't have beer but I can make a mean cup of coffee." Laughing, she caught a small smirk threatening to form at the corner of his mouth. This put her at ease a little. She didn't really know where she sat with some of the guys in the club, and Tig was one of them.

"Yeah, sure." He followed her inside and shut the door behind him. Inside the house it was actually a mind fuck for him. Bookcases lined the hallway when you walked inside the home. The walls were colored in a dark charcoal, and he was almost sure there was a skull working as a bookend in there somewhere. Who was **this** girl?

"It's not much. I didn't bring anything with me from Oregon. Kind of wanted to start new, you know?" She wasn't uncomfortable talking to Tig, but it wasn't as easy as talking to someone like Piney or Bobby, or even Jax when she had gotten the chance to do it. Lana continued on with the tour, from the hallway to the living room. The walls matching the hallway, but the decor giving off a little more Gothic vampire vibes. "Not what you expected?" Their eyes met and she couldn't help but smile. Most people were surprised behind the blazers and fitted suits that she was a gothic goddess type of woman.

"No." Tig smirked before leaning down to stare at an aquarium that housed a snake. "I have to admit, I had you pegged as some uppity tight assed cop. Dolls and the color pink, flowers and shit." Lana laughed at that and took a seat on the edge of her couch.

"Dolls creep me out; and, you haven't seen the kitchen yet." She almost laughed at the irony from what he said. There were flowers on the kitchen table; more plants. Lighter colors painted on the walls - pastel pinks. Tig gave a look when she said dolls had creeped her out; him too. Always been a phobia of his. She watched him try to figure out what he could based on her home appearance; and she found some amusement in it.

"Is something on your mind Tig?"

He looked at her and grimaced for a second before asking, "Are you a cop?"

"What a popular question." Tig watched her every move, she didn't flinch, she didn't start giving away any tells or signs of lying. He didn't know if it reassured him, or scared him. Nothing more dangerous than a woman who can lie to your face, and not give some part of herself away. "I'm not a cop Tig."

"Then why are you here?" The question was almost starting to become offensive; it came around so often. She moved from the edge of one of the sofa's to where he was standing. This was the point of the night where she thanked him for the ride home and sent him on his way.

"You guys writing a book?" Her rebuttal was full of sarcasm, and the look on his face made her feel a little vindicated. "My mom and dad used to be from Charming. I'm just trying to piece together some missing pieces ever since my mom passed away." She wasn't sure how much she wanted to open up about, but the deepest part of her urged to expose a little more. "I'm not a cop; but, I _have_ dated a few. I'm the daughter of one – well, used to be the daughter of one. He's running for Senate now. I'm the sister of a cop."

She watched as he intently listened to her talk. Nobody's ever really done that yet since she's been in Charming. "I _have_ a record." She smirked, which got a small chuckle out of him. "I'm sure Juice has pulled that up by now."

"What makes you think we checked you out?" Tig couldn't hide the amusement in his tone. He wasn't really one for chit chat or small conversations. This was actually the first time he really spoke to her, about anything. Clay had Juice look into her the first day she came to Charming; and, even more so when she started hanging around the club.

" _Oh_ , I think almost every member of the club asking if I was a cop might have given you away." Now they were both smiling now, and after she'd noticed he was staring at her, she looked away scrambling for something to say to make it less awkward. "Thanks for the ride home."

"Yeah… You going to Jax's later? The kid is coming home." Tig gave a curious look and checked his phone before looking up at her once more. He surprised himself, by only now noticing how striking a woman she truly was. He quickly started digging his foot into the carpet so that his nerves wouldn't get the best of him.

"I don't think so. I wasn't really invited and I'm kind of tired. A lot of shit going down lately. It was my first time dealing with the cops barging in like that!" She laughed a little and then remembered the cut on her face from earlier. "Thanks, again." With that, she had shown Tig out the door and watched on the porch until she couldn't see him any longer.

Lana had felt a little guilty about not being at Abel's coming home party. She felt more out of responsibility to Gemma, than Jax to be there. Still, she was just exhausted. It was too much. Pieces of her parents past kept unraveling day by day. She'd now identified every person in the old photo she had found in her mother's storage. It was scary to confront that. She had started going through each box, one by one. It was the only advantage she had about Charming.

Her thoughts drifted during her scavenger hunt of information; and, she started thinking about Tig. He admitted that the club had looked into her past. What did they find? Was it enough to keep her on the outside? Maybe that's why Gemma had been a little distant from her lately? Did Hale find the same things Juice had? Her mind was racing with questions and a lot of 'what if' scenarios – until someone started knocking on her door.

She slowly opened the door and was surprised to see Hale standing on the other side of it. "David…" She instantaneously saw something in his demeanor that she'd seen a lot as a child growing up. One that a lot of cops wished they didn't have to experience. "What's wrong?" He didn't answer her, instead, he pulled her into a hug and allowed his emotions to get the better of him. Lana could only hold him tighter before moving him inside of the house and locking the door behind him.

Something was wrong and while her first instinct was to call Gemma and see if everyone was okay - she pushed through whatever level of loyalty that was aside and focused on Hale. She'd never seen him this upset before. "Come on baby, you gotta tell me what's wrong?" Hale moved his hands tight around her waist and pulled her closer to him - not wanting to let her go. Not willing to lose her in any capacity. The club was dangerous, and he knew they were going to get her killed.

"I just... cant imagine my life without you." Whispering down, he pressed a soft kiss against the skin of her forehead. Lana moved her head slightly and met his lips with hers. The response was soft and subtle and one that Hale yearned for when he'd let her go.

"I'm here," now cupping his face, Lana pulled him down to kiss him again. "I'm here." The raven haired woman slowly led him to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She could see he was still in a state of shock and it was then - no matter how bad - she wouldn't press it.

Sitting on the edge of Lana's bed Hale looked back at the raven haired woman whom been asleep most of the morning. He wasn't sure if his coming to her home had been a mistake. The night they shared together; during one of his most vulnerable moments of his life had opened a door he'd thought would remain closed to her. Donna's death weighed heavy on his mind and he could only think of Lana. Of her being the one laying in the street shot dead because of, if not by, Samcro. While he watched her sleep, he couldn't help but allow the smile to form on his lips when she'd opened her eyes. The sun shined inside of her bedroom window at the right moment. She almost looked angelic.

"Good morning." Hale leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips, which Lana happily obliged. "We should talk." Those words gave Lana anxiety. Nothing good ever came from hearing someone say those words; friend, or otherwise.

"Any news on what happened to Donna?" Lana asked sitting up in her bed, she reached for the closest article of clothing and put it on. If anything, small talk could potentially avoid the two of them talking about what she feared was coming. _He regretted the night they spent together. He'd only slept with her because he was upset about Donna, because he'd allowed it to happen._

He watched as she made her way from the bed to the bathroom and smirked a little at her choice of clothes; his button up shirt. "What we talked about last night, I just… I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here. If I tell Jax what I know…"

"It goes against your badge." She softly spoke with a look. "You're too good for this town David."

 ** _David_**. He repeated his name in his head and that left him feeling something completely different about her. She's never called him David. "So what would you do?" He'd sworn he'd never pry about her being friends with members of the club, and she swore she'd stay out of police business to benefit them.

"I think it's tough."

"Yes, but what would **you** do?" Lana stared at him for a few moments thinking about the question he'd just asked. She didn't know Clay as well as she'd wanted to know him. He kept her at arm's length, most of the time. Once, he said hello to her without prompting from Gemma. It just didn't seem like something he would do.

"I don't know. I would make sure I had proof before I brought anything to Jax. It'd kill him. He will probably lose his mind finding out that Clay tried to kill Opie. And really, fuck Stahl. You really should be blaming her more for this." Lana stood there with her hand on her hip. There was no point in pretending she liked Agent Stahl.

"I'm going to talk to Unser about all of this. He's close with Clay. He knows Clay better than anyone in this town." Lana nodded her head and looked at him a bit more serious. She'd been trying to skip around his whole, 'we need to talk' bit and ended up being the one to bring it back full circle. Damn.

"Did you… fuck Stahl?" Her voice was pretty lax and the question made her uncomfortable.

"Jesus Christ Lana, does it matter?" Hale pushed out a heavy sigh and with both hands on his hips gave her the typical 'police stare down.' Lana knew that look well. He was going to tell her something she didn't want to hear. "Yes," he stated very calmly. Almost too calm, Lana thought. "I thought we were done. After last night, I don't know, I kind of feel like we still got a lot more to tell. I need you. I want you."

"I should get over to Teller-Morrow. See if I can do something for the funeral." Lana took a step away from where she was standing and gave him a nod. "It does matter, by the way. It matters."

"Lana." The way he said her name sent chills down her spine and she couldn't look him in the eye. "Lana, look at me." He walks over to her and lifts her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes, "I love you." He loved her. He loved _her_. "Say something," he looked at her frantically and he could feel her pulling away from him. In a last ditch effort, he pulled her in for a kiss. "Did you hear what I just said to you? I love you."

"Me too," she whispered against his lips before stepping away from him and walking to her closet to grab some real clothes. "Go talk to Unser and figure out what you're going to do. I'll see you at the funeral, okay?" Hale didn't respond, he had felt like a fool for telling her that. A part of him had expected a much different response. When she'd dismissed him, he couldn't even form words; he was so upset.


	6. Chapter 6 - Small Tears

**Note** : Hey guys! Thanks for reading. This chapter will shadow Season 2. (episodes 1 & 2) Later on in the chapter we get a flashback sequence (lol) to Lana talking to Piney – who finally sheds some light on her mom. It's the part in italics. You guys are awesome! I love all the reviews and private messages regarding this. I appreciate you all!

* * *

Bobby was being released today and Gemma wanted to make his coming home a nice celebration for the club. In addition to the rest of the crow eaters' help, she enlisted in Lana's as well. Over the past few weeks she had proven more and more each day that her loyalty was with them; with the club. Gemma was warned by Clay not to trust the young raven haired woman, but something in Gemma thought otherwise. By allowing Lana to be embraced by the club, it had stopped all of her questions about her mom. It also put Gemma's mind at ease some, due in part to worrying about Jax and what bones he was still trying to dig up. Everything that had happened, with Opie, Donna and, Tara deciding to stay in Charming; Gemma, just needed Lana to lay off for a bit.

"Alright, I've got the girls picking up the last of the food. I called the prospect and he's going to let the guys know about the party tonight for Bobby." Lana walked into Gemma's office at Teller-Morrow and gave a soft knock on the door, "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh hey baby," Gemma stood from her desk and walked over to give Lana a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, for doing the rest of this. I guess my mind has been all over the place lately." Lana nodded her head and pulled her long hair up into a ponytail.

"I was talking to Hale today, he says he's taking over for Unser in two months." Lana sat down in the chair and watched as Gemma sat back at her desk. "How's Unser doing with all of this?" It'd been a while since Lana had brought up Hale to Gemma, or anyone for that matter. Through her connection to the sheriff's department – she'd managed to get close to not only Hale, but Unser as well. He was like a father she wished she had.

"He's getting tired of the shit here in Charming as much as the rest of us. Loves his job though; I'm not sure what happens when he steps down." Lana nodded while Gemma spoke and then let out a huge sigh. "You and Hale… where you at with that?"

"I think the guys are back," Lana smiled when the sound of motorcycles came into the garage. She waved moved with Gemma outside and waved to them when they walked past. "I'll see you later Gemma." Just as Lana started walking towards her car, she was stopped by Tig.

"Where ya going," She stared at him and then looked around just to make sure it was her he was asking this to. "Do you want to… eat or something."

"Or something," Lana smiled before her mouth formed into a wide grin at the man behind Tig. "Hi." She moved to give Piney a hug and looked back at Tig mouthing the words, 'I'm sorry' as Piney continued to walk her to her car.

"How're you doing darling?" Piney asked before looking back at Tig. He was waiting for the guys to head into the clubhouse to steal a moment with Jax. Lana was a welcomed distraction, "I don't want to father you, but whatever that was, and it's not a good idea."

Laughing, Lana nodded her head at the sentiment. Maybe she needed somebody to father her, "Thanks Piney, but there's really nothing to worry about." She looked at Tig who was still standing where she'd left him, and then back to Piney. "I've been meaning to give you back some of those photos you leant me. I really appreciated what you did." After Donna had died, Lana had found herself at a loss when it came to Samcro. She wasn't really sure if Piney was trying to replace the loss of one daughter with another, but he'd shared a lot of things with Lana in the weeks that passed. He'd even given her proof to some of the old memories she'd convinced him to share.

"Keep them. They're your mom." Piney noted that he was being signaled by Jax now and he leaned down and pressed a kiss on Lana's forehead, "They're your story just as much as his." Lana smiled against his kiss and nodded her head before waving goodbye to Jax; who was waiting for Piney. Although she couldn't hear what they were talking about, she waited there for a moment before finally getting in her car and leaving.

* * *

Lana had left Bobby's welcome back party shortly after Bobby started to sexually interact with every female in the clubhouse. She didn't want any part of that, and it was easy to sneak away when everyone had started drinking. All she could do was look at the photos that Piney had given her. Her mother was an old lady. She smiled at the thought, wondering what she must have been like. Every photo brought her back to what Piney had told her about them.

" _I always thought your mom was too good for this club; too good for all of us," Piney pointed out and watched the young woman take all of this information in, "You'd always see her leaning up against the office doors. Doing god knows what." He laughed and Lana smiled, it was the first time she'd heard him laugh since Donna passed away. "She was mischievous, both her and Gemma. They were always up to something. Your mom always had good intentions."_

" _It just doesn't make sense…" Lana swallowed hard at that one. She still didn't know what to make of all of that. Clay was so mean to her, and now it made sense. "Then, why didn't she just say so?"_

" _Gemma will never tell you what you want to know about your mother." Piney gave her another photo, and watched Lana study it, "She probably saw something in you that reminded her of a part of her life she was trying to forget about. You look just like her."_

" _So I keep hearing." Lana whispered, before taking another photo from him. This time it was a photo of her mother and John Teller. "Do you think my mom would still be alive if she stayed in Charming?"_

" _Hard to say…"_

" _They look so happy here." Lana noted placing the photo of Gemma and her mother down on the table and grabbing up another. "Even the candid photos, she's always laughing…"Lana cocked her head curiously before noticing something in one of the pictures. "Wait a minute."_

" _What?" Piney watched her stand up while still staring down at the photo in her hand and leave the living room of her home. He didn't follow her, but listened intently while she spoke._

" _This necklace," Lana called out from her bedroom before coming back into the room with it in her hands. "It's the same one in the picture, look." She pointed it out and then handed him the necklace. "My dad wanted to throw it away after she died, but I kept it. You ever see it before?"_

" _No," Piney handed her back the necklace and watched as she put it on._

" _This is all great, like really great." Lana clapped her hands together and gave him a look. "Did my mom ever get serious with anybody? You said she was an old lady. Who's?"_

" _Your mom dated a lot of the guys. She was a guy's girl, always asking about cars. The guys in the garage loved it. They were like puddy in her hands when it came to shit like that. Her laugh was infectious and she was funny." Piney smiled again and tried to remember more. "I know she dated Lowell Sr. for a while, hell, even I'd…"_

 _Lana screamed. "Don't finish that sentence!" Her face was flushed with embarrassment and she made note that she'd gotten another laugh out of him; this one more of a belly laugh. "I don't want to know."_

Lana's thoughts had been interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. It was really late, who would be calling her at this hour? She leaned over and didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

* * *

One look at Gemma when she walked in the door and Lana knew. If she verbalized it, it didn't make it any less true. Even if Gemma didn't say what happened, or didn't want to say what happened. Lana sat next to a hurt Gemma and watched as Tara wiped her wounds, all Lana could do was hold Gemma's hand. "What's our next step," Lana looked at Tara and then at Unser. Gemma had taken on a maternal kind of role with Lana, and all she'd been doing was going behind her back and trying to figure her own shit out. Thinking about her earlier conversations with Piney, she started to feel a little guilty about it.

"Jax see you leave," Gemma asked Tara, and all Tara did was stare at her for a moment.

"He thinks I'm at the hospital." Tara spoke looking from Gemma, and gazing up at Lana. "You need to tell me what happened so I can help you?"

"Use your imagination?" Gemma's tone was cold, and familiar. She hated this. She hated what happened to Gemma, she hated getting the phone call at 3am. She hated not being able to call Clay or Jax. Secrets. More secrets. Lana started to feel her body temperature heat up and looked at all three of them in the room.

"Maybe we should let her rest for a while," Unser spoke, and Lana shook her head when Tara suggested getting her to the hospital.

"No, she'll have to check in. Insurance and shit. Everyone will know." Gemma let out a sigh and looked to both Tara and Unser to come up with a better idea. Neither was saying one or the other.

"She's right."

"Fine," Tara whispered, and Lana watched as the clocks started turning inside her head. It was something she noticed a lot when speaking to Tara the few times she'd done so in the past. She was always thinking of something more, something not being told. "We'll go home, get you some clothes. Pick up Abel and sign him in. We'll say we're running more tests."

"You can get fired for that," Gemma responded.

"We'll figure it out." Lana watched as Tara and Unser left the room and all of her attention turned back to Gemma. It was painful to see her like this, and all it did was bring back some nasty shit for her. "Do you want me to do anything for you?"

"Yeah, go to the clubhouse. Somebody's going to have to clean up after the party." Lana wasn't going to argue at this point. If Gemma wanted her to clean up the clubhouse, she was going to clean up the clubhouse. It was only a matter of time before Unser would think of something to cover Gemma's bruises. Lana got up from Gemma's side and joined Tara and Unser in the other room.

"What are you thinking," The question was more directed at Tara, but when Unser mentioned Gemma's bruises, it was Lana's mind that started thinking fast. "I've got an idea, you come with me. I'll tell you on the way." She whispered to Unser, before glancing back at Tara, "Get her to the hospital. We'll take care of the rest."

* * *

After following Lana's lead about driving Gemma's car into a guardrail, Unser looked from the now totaled car; and then, back to Lana. He wanted to call Clay. He wanted to tell him everything. He was too loyal to Gemma for his own good. "You mind telling me how you came up with this idea so quickly?"

"Not really," Lana smirked before moving over towards the guardrail and leaning on it. It'd have to be a few minutes before they reported the accident. Give Tara some time to get Gemma in without nobody noticing her. Lana's attention moved back to Unser for a moment and she smiled, "You know how." He did. He'd done his research much to Clay's pressuring him to do so. He was almost positive Juice was able to dig up a little more than he ever could. Lana had a record. Grand theft auto being one of the major ones that stuck out.

"That why you're in Charming," the question had come so natural. It was starting to become even more natural to pretend it meant something else. As unwanted as the question made her feel, all Lana could do was nod her head.

"I'm not some criminal running from my past Wayne.," She almost laughed after that. "I'm running to the past. I just want to know who my mom was. What she meant to this town." Nudges him a bit when he stands beside her, "What she meant to people like you."

"Your dad ever tell you why he moved her out of Charming?" Lana's attention turned to Unser and he now had her full attention. "Why he hated the club so much? Hell, I think there was a point while he was growing up here that he hated me. Samcro. Clay, and the club. It's a necessary evil. Not everyone agrees."

"Hale."

"Hale," Unser repeated with ease. "Lincoln Montgomery... I get why Hale's waiting for me to step down, I was him once."

"You were Captain America?" Lana was now laughing, but still willing to give her full attention on this one. "My dad isn't like David," Lana sternly replied. "He's as corrupt as they come. Trust me. I've seen it."

"No, I wasn't Captain America," Unser laughed and folded his arms across his chest. "I was young once though. Hell, I've always been friends with the club. John, Clay... watched their kids grow up. Watched them fall in and out of love. Watched them mourn the loss of their brothers. Hale sees Samcro of today. I've seen them help," He let out a sigh before continuing. He wasn't sure if repeating what he knew on the matter would help or hurt Lana. "Lincoln found out your mom was having an affair, and it drove him nuts." _Hello_ Lana thought to herself before urging him to go on. "He thought it was with someone in the club because she was always hanging around them. Gemma was her best friend, he didn't understand that."

Lana stared at him wide eyed, "Was it... somebody in the club?"

"We should get to the hospital. Call Clay and Jax." Lana now stood in front of him, furious. She wasn't going to continue letting every single person associated with the club give her the run around.

"Who was it," When Unser started walking towards his car she looked around for the closest thing to throw at him. She settled for a rock and whipped it at his back as hard as she could. He turned around and looked at her and her hands went up, "I'm sorry. Wayne, you have to tell me who?"What if it was Piney, and that's why he was always so cool to her? Or Bobby, although Bobby has tried to sleep with her. What if it was Tig - that wasn't even an idea she was willing to entertain. "Okay, you're not going to tell me who it is."

"It's not my business," Unser said shaking his head and walking back towards his car. Did this crazy ass woman really throw a rock at him? She did know he was a cop right? "Get in, we've got to get to the hospital." Lana caught up to him and when they were inside the car, she turned to him and gave a look, trying to read his expression a bit. It was blank, or tired.

"Can you just tell me it wasn't Tig?" Unser arched his brow at her and shook his head. "It wasn't Tig, and neither should you."


	7. Chapter 7 - Fix

"Here's half your retainers," Lana watched Luanne conduct her business before interrupting. " I'll give you the other half at the end of the week," Luanne said while handing over two white envelopes of cash to her girls. Ima and Lyla were her stars. This shit never ended with the ATF.

"Hey Luanne, sorry it took me so long to get over here." Lana hugs the older woman and then looks around at everything being shut down. The men shutting her down, she recognizes as WTF and then makes a mental note of who's there. It seemed like shutting down porn studios would be the least of ATF's worries, but here they were. "Gemma told me you needed help, what's happening?"

Before she could say anything Jax and the rest of the guys had arrived, "Hey darling." He had that southern charm to his voice that had no business in California; all Lana could do was smile at him and give him a hug.

"Hey, how's Gemma?" Jax obliged with her small talk and told her about Gemma's accident, assuming she'd already heard about it, but not pressing the subject. He even went further by giving Lana the run down on what Tara had said. So much for confidentiality, Lana thought. "Hey guys." One by one, she hugged the members of Samcro before everyone had turned their attention back to Luanne and the matter at hand.

"That's some lovely merchandise you've got walking out that door," Chibs noted while pointing at the two attractive blonde women walking out.

"And they'll keep walkin' if I don't come up with the rest of their money." Luanne, clearly frustrated by all of this turned to Jax who brought up her old man, Otto. Lana still didn't know what information she was actually supposed to be privy to, but when they started talking about Luanne's rival Georgie Caruso, she turned to walk away.

A few minutes later Jax came up from behind and reached out for her shoulder to get her attention. When she jumped he put his hand up partly concerned, the other part confused to what got that reaction. "You okay darling?"

"Oh yeah," She smiled big and nodded her head at him, and then Chibs who was standing alongside Jax. "I was just thinking about some stuff."

"Nothing too serious, I hope." Jax matched her smile with one of his own and nodded his head as if there was some kind of unspoken conversation that had just happened. He was indifferent about the raven haired woman. He knew his mother had kind of pulled her in, he just didn't know how much of it was her own doing.

"I'm fine," Lana gave another sheepish grin and looked back towards Luanne. "Is… she going to be okay? I mean… Gemma wanted me to just come by, but I'm not sure what I can do?"

"Just sit with her and see if she mentions anything more about Caruso. It'd be a big help," By the time he finishes his sentence, the corner of his lips curl into a smile and it actually seems a little more endearing the more they speak. Lana nods, again, in understanding and walks away to go help; whatever _that_ looked like.

* * *

The next couple of days consisted of Lana doing whatever Gemma needed her to. Which wasn't much; all Gemma wanted to do was forget what had happened. Pretend it wasn't real, was more like it. Still, the both of them were inseparable, which was more due to Lana's overbearing nature than anything else. They were headed to Luanne's porn studio and neither said a word to the other in the car ride there. Lana waited outside while Gemma goes in to calm down Luanne who was freaking out. She waved at Jax and Tara when they pulled up and walked over to make small talk with Tara while Jax tended to the issue at hand.

"What the hell you doing here," Clay asked while removing his helmet and getting off his bike. Lana watched as Gemma ignored him.

"Luanne called, she's freaking out" Gemma calmly told him before looking back at Lana who was watching the exchange between the two.

"This is club business; you've got no right to intervene." Tig now moved next to Lana and Tara and the three of them watched with caution.

"She's my friend, she needs to talk," Gemma shot back, unrelenting to Clay's demands.

"oh she when she wants to talk, you're gonna drop everything?"

"Jesus Christ, what are you three?"

"Get back to the garage."

"Excuse me?"

"The last thing I need is you running DIVA over some god damn cum factory." Clay screamed at her and Lana stepped forward but was stopped when Tig grabbed her arm to hold her back. This wasn't her business to get in the middle of.

"Asshole." Gemma spat back before walking towards the entrance of the building. No sooner did Clay grab a huge cinder block and put it through Gemma's car window. Lana could only watch in shock when Gemma snapped back and headed right for him. "YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT" She kicks his bike, and now it was Lana holding Tig back before they made their move over towards both Gemma and Clay; with Tara running inside of Cara Cara to get Jax.

Both Clay and Gemma exchange more obscenities at one another and when Clay's had enough, he goes to grab Gemma and it puts her over the edge. Jax now moves past both Lana and Tara. He glares at Clay trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened, and what Clay's been doing to his mom to get that reaction out of her. Tara takes Gemma back to Teller Morrow, and Lana stays behind to assess the situation.

"Hey, I'm going to give you a lift back to the shop," Tig whispered in her ear. He moved in close and put his hand up against hers. "Come on" he turned towards his bike and waited for her to decide she was coming with. Rather than put up a fight, or allowing her inquisitive mind to verbalize any of this; she just hops on the back of his bike and doesn't say a word.

"Hey," Tig calls out after her when she starts heading towards the office. "We got a thing here in a bit, but… maybe we'll see each other later?" That wasn't the best he could do, but shit. This girl made him nervous.

"Not going to the party at Cara Cara?" Lana arched a brow and lifted her hand in an attempt to shield her eyes from the sun. Tig walked towards her direction to close the gap between them some. The way the sun hit her face illuminated every single freckle on it and he shook his head. "That a no?"

"Not if you don't want to go," he smiled, which forced Lana to do the same. He was sly, this one. "So, what do you say? Cara Cara or… something else?" The way he said it sounded so mischievous and Lana actually laughed at that, she was almost positive this was how their last conversation ended.

"I'll be there."

* * *

As the night progressed, Lana found herself standing in front of her mirror several times. It wasn't a date, it definitely wasn't a date. How were you supposed to look when standing next to porn stars all night? She opted for pants, since she figured nobody else would be wearing them. It'd give her the advantage and make her easy to find, she thought. When she arrived at Cara Cara she was surprised to see Clay there. _Don't go over to him. Don't even entertain the idea_. Walking over, she leans forward and gives her best, "hello."

"Lana." Well that wasn't awkward, she thought before taking that as a hint. Which she would have totally have stuck to, if she wasn't who she was. Her entire time in Charming had been centered on Clay and his club. Her inquisitive nature had only lead to more questions than answers – maybe it was time she finally started asking the right person. "You need something?"

Well that was cold, she thought. _Don't just stand there_ , **say** something. "Why do you hate me? Sorry." The look Clay gave her made her embarrassed and she turned to walk away, before she convinced herself to go back. "No," She says sternly before walking back over towards him. "Did I do s _omething_? I guess I just don't get it."

"What's to get?"

"Forget I asked, have fun at your party." Rolling her eyes, she went to walk away until Clay grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. Lana's expression was quick to turn to worry and she tried pulling herself back when he reached for her neck.

"Where'd you get this?" He pulled her necklace off of her neck and before she had a chance to react, he continued. "This isn't yours. You have no business wearing this necklace! You hear me? You want to know what my problem is with you? You have no business here in Charming. Your old man didn't, and you don't. Samcro doesn't do business with cops." She went to pull back, but noticed he was still holding onto her arm, "You got that?"

"Ye… yes," Lana quickly brings her hand up to caress her neck when he lets her go and she watches as he takes some girl with him around the corner. She moves to follow him quickly but loses him before seeing him talking to Juice. She turned to leave completely forgetting about meeting Tig there.

In the back of Cara Cara away from anybody that might hear him he pulls Juice aside. "I want everything you can find on Lana Montgomery by tomorrow morning. You hear me? Where she's from, what she does, when she takes a shit. If she's doing something, I want to know about it. If she's taking a shit, I want to know about it."

"But what about the party," Juice stupidly replies before meeting Clay's eyes and backing away. "You got it."


	8. Chapter 8 - Eureka

**Note:** Back with another chapter tonight! Just wanted to give a heads up and try to help in any confusion as to what exactly this chapter is. Both parts are happening at the same time. Juice telling Clay what he found out about Lana. Lana FINALLY revealing (essentially the same information) to Gemma; so, the dialogue will be almost identical, but the response a little different from both parties. You guys are amazing! I appreciate you!

* * *

 **"Just as there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to every person… …one that we reveal to the world and another we keep hidden inside. A duality governed by the balance of light and darkness. Within each of us is the capacity for both good and evil. But those who are able to blur the moral dividing line hold the true power."**

A blood run for some children's hospital. Samcro doing actual humanitarian work. The whole idea of it all floored Lana on so many levels. Still, she showed up at Teller-Morrow bright and early to wish the guys luck. She was surprised to see that she'd beaten Gemma there, but fascinated to see Tig standing there watching her. She gave a wave before making her way over to Juice. The second she'd addressed him, she could tell he was uncomfortable. "You okay Juice?"

"Yeah, I just," he stops speaking to her when Clay and Gemma arrive at the garage and Lana turns just as Clay looks up. The both of them make eye contact with one another and she looks away. He made her feel uneasy, especially after he took her necklace from her. _Took_ was an understatement; ripped off of her better suited the situation.

"Hey Juice," Lana called behind her surprised to see him still standing there. "You gonna be around later?"

"Yeah," He nervously spoke as he rubbed his hands up and down the sides of his stomach, hesitant. "Why?"

"Maybe we could talk," She smiles back at him again, this time not turning her eyes away from him. "Unser mentioned you were good at computers. I need a favor."

"I…" rather than finish his statement, Juice just walked away from her and went to greet the guys who were ribbing Half-Sac. Lana continued watching, this time noticing how Gemma went straight for her office and not towards Clay. They must still be fighting, Lana thought.

* * *

When the dust had settled, and the guys were nearly all gone from the garage; Lana took it upon herself to check in on Gemma. She hadn't had opportunity to do so since the 'accident' had happened. Lana walked into the office and smiled when she saw Piney was in there showing a customer out. The look of frustration on Gemma's face revealed a lot more than just marital problems.

"Hey darling," Piney smiled down at her. He reached down and pushed the strand of hair covering Lana's face behind her ear; causing the raven haired woman to blush a little. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah," Lana smiled before giving him a hug. "Let's talk tonight, okay? I'll cook you something special." Gemma, essentially the seer of all things watched the exchange go down between the two and said nothing. Watching, like her birds did so often, observing. With Piney out the door, Lana turned and smiled at Gemma. "Hey."

"You know he's old enough to be your great grandfather, right?" The tone in Gemma's voice translated to pure disapproval. Confused, Lana took a second to process what was being asked. Did she?

"Wait. What," Lana laughed before shaking her head. "No, god no, we're just friends. He comes over sometimes and we just share war stories."

"War stories," With an arched brow – the matriarch motions for Lana to follow her out of the office and into the club house.

"War stories," Again, Gemma's tone clearly allowing her disappointment to shine through. Lana nodded her head. Gemma shook her head when Lana tried to change the subject by talking about how she was since her attack. "Why don't you tell me about your war stories?"

"Gemma," Now it was Lana who was disappointed.

"Oh come on," Gemma pleaded with the younger woman. "You never told me why you were on the lamb to begin with." Lana gave an amused look, the last thing Gemma wanted to do was ask Lana questions about her life. This was a first. Gemma rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'd rather talk about anything else but how I'm doing. So spill the beans darling, or get out."

"Okay," Lana reluctantly whispered before pulling up a seat at the bar and motioning for Gemma to sit down next to her. "My dad's always been mean to me," She started. The very idea of having this conversation with Gemma made her sick to her stomach; but, she continued, giving Gemma just as much respect as she'd given Piney when he asked.

"I was six, maybe even five when I first noticed it. He'd just treat me really bad. He was very protective over my brother Landon, but when it came to me," She gestured a bit, her hands talking a lot more than she did. She was a very expressive talker, and it helped to really get to the point. "He hated me."

"He hated you," Gemma asked, confused.

"He was the sheriff at the time. Would always tell my mother that it had to do with stress from work, and he didn't mean to take it out on me. But he always did."

"He hit you?"

"Not always," Lana whispered before pressing her lips together hard to process her memory. "Sometimes he'd pay other people to do it." That received a look from Gemma. "He once left me at some carnival he took us to, and told my mom that I'd run off and before he had a chance to notice, I was gone. But I KNOW it was him. I know he paid some guy to grab me. I saw him. I saw him paying some carnival junkie a bag of money. The sheriff; MY dad," tears filled her eyes and she began to continue, appreciating the fact that Gemma was allowing her to do so.

"They found me almost six hours later, and do you know what he did?" Gemma looked at the girl and shook her head. "He took me up to my room, and he beat me _._ Whooped my ass good. _'You know better than to run off! You scared your mother and I to death!_ ' he said, and he just… beat me, with his belt. I couldn't sit down for almost two days by the time he was done. That was when Landon started being mean to me. He blamed me for us not being allowed to do anything like that anymore."

"Oh baby, I'm sorry." Gemma reached over for her hand and couldn't hide the shock when Lana pulled her hand away from her.

"It got progressively worse over the years; especially after my mom died. She couldn't save me anymore, and I needed her to be there to protect me, and she wasn't." Lana moved her hand up quickly to wipe a tear that had fallen down her cheek. "She killed herself the day before my thirteenth birthday, you know?" She'd said it as if Gemma would have known, but the look on her face said otherwise.

"It was the best day of my life," Lana smiled before looking Gemma in the eyes again. "The worst too, but… to a thirteen year old, when your mom gets you out of school early, it's a big deal. She convinced my teacher to let me go out for the day. It was my birthday tomorrow and she wanted to celebrate, just us." Gemma smiled, but could see this was something Lana still held on to. "We did everything that day; she said it was all about me. It was my birthday and we could do whatever I wanted."

"What'd you do?"

"Everything a thirteen year old could possibly imagine," Lana smiled to herself and shut her eyes for a second. "We were exhausted from it and I remember my dad calling my mom saying that he was taking Landon to dinner and they were going to stay at the station to catch up on some work. He'd always take Landon with him to work, wanted him to be a cop since day one. Follow in his legacy, ya know?" Lana sighed, "We ended up falling asleep in my bed watching a movie she'd gotten me. Or I did, I can't remember. When I woke up, she was asleep next to me. I tried to wake her up, but I couldn't. I called my dad, and he didn't answer. So I dialed 911, and one of the deputies sent an ambulance. He stayed on the phone with me the whole time. Said he was sending my father home right now."

"I realized once the medics were taking her out that it was serious. My dad pushing passed them, he kept screaming her name." Lana stared at the liquor bottles lined up against the wall and got up to pour both of them a drink. "I didn't find out that they ruled it as an accidental overdose until a few years later. I don't really think I knew what that meant until later. I was digging around in some of my dads shit. I didn't even know what that meant. _Accidental_. She didn't even have a will."

* * *

Juice's phone buzzed in his pocket and he moved quick to answer it in hopes that it was Clay. He'd been trying to reach him for most of the night when he heard the run was finished. "Hey boss."

"What'd you find out?"

Nervous, Juice sighed into the phone and got up from his laptop and made sure the chapel door was closed tight. "I don't even know where to start Clay," he whispered into rhe phone. "She's got a long history of being in and out of juvie, almost all of her teens. Shit's pretty deep. File says she saw her mom die? You sure you need to know all of this?"

"What for?" Clay's voice came through as demanding, and straight to business. Juice felt a little guilty reporting all of this to Clay, but he was the boss.

"Breaking and entering into the sheriffs department, assaulting a police officer... three of them." Juice, himself, was actually impressed with that one. "Her old man's the one who booked her. Every time. He's some big shot senator now... wasn't back then though. Just another asshole cop, it sounds like." He continued to tell Clay about what he found. "Her mom passed away when she was thirteen, and it was just a lot of shit from there..."

"What else," Clay asked taking all of this into consideration.

"She was going to some private school, and got kicked out a few times. Accused her teacher of raping her, and _she's_ the one who gets kicked out. Again, her old man being the one who worked on the case. Her record got expunged a few years ago when her old man started his run for Senate... but that stuff is what his rivals managed to dig up."

"What'd you manage to dig up?"

"You're not gonna like it."

* * *

"So when I graduated with a degree in forensic science, I just kind of fell into the life at the station." Lana explained. "He wasn't running it anymore, so it made things easier." Lana looks over at Gemma and actually smiles at her. "You know, I think it's the first time he was actually proud of me? It was supposed to be Landon, but it was me."

"Naturally," Gemma whispered, relating to wanting the recognition from a parent.

"Landon of course did become a cop, and we always bumped heads. Even before that." Lana took a second to try to remember where she was going with this. "So, Juvie, jail and the whole package... I don't know if I was just out for revenge, or what. I remember finding those stupid pictures and these journal entries from my mom. The older I got, the more my need for revenge fueled me. I didn't know who I was mad at anymore." Running her hands through her long black hair, she sighed hard. "I tried to destroy him. Ruined the first part of his campaign, until he had my record expunged and told me to get out and never come back. I _wasn't_ welcome in the Montgomery family any longer." Lana repeated the last words her father said to her and her voice sounded as cold as his did.

"Harsh."

Lana shrugged, indifferent to the whole situation now. "I found the guy who raped me. That teacher." She stares at Gemma and then looks away, nervous to admit this part. "I snuck into his house and... I don't know, I blacked out."

With a curious brow, Gemma cocks her head. "You blacked out?"

"I remember being there, and then I was at home in the shower with my clothes on; and my dad was trying to get me to come to." The raven haired woman looks down at her hands, this probably being the darkest part of her being. "He told me that he'd gotten a call from me earlier that night; which I don't remember making. That when he got there I was covered in blood and he was in his bed with several stab wounds dead."

Gemma, having to process this only urged the young woman to continue. "I stabbed him over fifty times with a pair of scissors."

* * *

Clay sat on the other end of the phone in silence. Juice let out a sigh, "She stabbed the guy over fifty times with a pair of scissors."

"Shit."

"Yeah, no kidding. I guess her old man covered it all up." Juice almost snorts, ill fated bad joke, "Or at least attempted to. I found it."

* * *

Both women stared at each other for a few minutes in silence, this was heavy. At the start of this day, Gemma had only looked at Lana one way; an old friends daughter from another life. The irony of it all being that there was more Samcro in her, than she realized. "So he covered it up." Gemma finally spoke.

"Yeah, his last nail in my coffin. He told me that if I pursued this thing in Charming that it'd be the end."

"Of course he did," Gemma shook her head, not really surprised by that at all. "So where are you at with all of this?"

"I think he killed her." Lana said, looking away from Gemma. This admission hurt, bad; it was also the first time she's said it out loud. "This box, it wasn't hidden away somewhere when I found it. It was out in the open... someone had been looking at it." Lana sat up and sighed a breath of relief, "I think maybe they fought about it. She wrote it in her journal. Always wanting to come back here. Missing home."

Gemma's face softened and she shut her eyes and sighed; repeating the words. "Missing home."

"She wanted to be in Charming, so bad Gemma. There are notebooks on notebooks. Letters that she wrote, but never sent. I haven't even gone through them all, you can help me. She craved this life while being forced to live another, and it killed her." Lana's voice cracked and she pushed herself to keep going.

"Yeah, I'll help you go through the letters," Gemma nodded her head, and reached over to grab a hold of the girls hand. Comforting her as much as possible. "You are not a victim so stop choosing to act like one." Gemma said boldly, and Lana gave her a look hoping she'd choose to further this discussion. "Now, if you want a relationship with your dead mother, fight for it. I'll help you get through those letters. That past though, it might not be one you want to open." Gemma leaned over to grab a cigarette, "And as far as dear old dad? I don't know if your dad killed your mom, and I sure as hell hope not. You can't let that shit eat at you baby. In the end, the guilty always fall."

"There was a reason he never wanted me to come here Gemma," Lana whispered. Both women glanced at one another and before Gemma could speak, Lana beat her to it. "I waited for you to tell me the truth, but you never did." Gemma made eye contact, but Lana continued again, before she could say a single word.

* * *

"Clay," Juice whispered; remembering that he was alone and mentally kicking himself in spite of that. "There's something else."

"She killed a guy, what else could there be?" Clay laughed, happy with himself that he found something to use against her. She'd been nothing but a gnat in his life since she came to Charming. Filling up Gemma's head with all these useless ideas and stories. The past was dead; and, it should stay that way.

"There was a paternity test on file, it was a little harder to dig up. I found it when I was lookin' up shit about her mom." Juice paused, and then spoke again. "It would have been done when she was born. She had a living will Clay."

"... and?" Clay was clearly annoyed. Part of his annoyance had to do with Jax bringing up Donna, again. Part of it having to do with club shit in general. "Just come out with it, I don't got all day."

"Clay," Juice, now more hesitant than ever sighs. "It uhm... it says that you're her father."


	9. Chapter 9 - Blank Space

Note: WOW! Thank you all for your encouraging words as far as the "big reveal" goes. Someone asked where we are in the season (as they'd like to follow along while reading) we are Season 2: Episode 5. Hope that helps! Sorry for the delay in posting. I generally like to post at least once a week, but it's gotten away from me due to real life. Hopefully I can get a lot done during my vacation! I appreciate you guys. Enjoy!

* * *

 _ **Refreshed.**_ There really wasn't any better word to describe how Lana felt following her talk with Gemma. It'd been a problem-free week; there was no sign of backlash in sight. Lana was also surprised to find in that week that Gemma had kept her promise of helping her sift through the ghost of her mother. It may not have meant a lot to Gemma to do so; but, it meant everything to Lana.

Lana's meetings remained in place. She was due to meet Hale at the station, his request. They may have had unfinished business and lord knows Lana was a pro at starting fires and not putting them out. This was her fault. She shouldn't have just left him standing there when he told her he loved her. She wasn't even sure anymore whether or not his sleeping with Stahl was even that big of a deal. She was scapegoating, and that was easy.

Once Lana made her way through the station, she made a bee-line to Hale's office. Whatever was going to come out of this; she was okay with. Moving her hand up to knock, she noticed the door was cracked open, and leaned her head against the door to see if someone was already inside.

"I just had a visit from Clay Morrow," Lana didn't recognize the voices inside, outside of Hale's. "He tried to extort protection money. Figured it was a good time for us to reconnect. Access our options."

"That's Samcro blowing up a private residence," Another voice that she didn't know. She listened closer to the door, occasionally peeking behind her to make sure nobody was going to blow her cover about listening in on something she maybe shouldn't be. "Arson. Vigilantism."

"Well, I can't just toss around photos and DVD's and expect that shit's gonna land." That was Hale speaking now, and Lana moved quickly around the corner to call Jax.

"Fuck," She whispered when he didn't pick up. She tried Piney, and the call again was ignored. "What the fuck." When she turned to walk into Hale's office, she nearly smacked herself into a man head face first. "Shit," She looked up, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I'm such a klutz."

"Don't worry about it," The man smiled down at her, and extended his hand. "Ethan Zobelle." Lana shook his hand and looked at the man behind him. "This is my associate Weston."

"Hi," Lana reached her hand out to him and shook his hand before folding her arms across her chest. "I'm sorry, again. I just needed to see Deputy Hale, is he in?" Hale, standing in the doorway with his brow arched at this exchange and motioned for her to come in side, "Gentleman."

* * *

"So what are we watching," The question had come off nonchalantly. Hale looked up at Lana who was watching the video over his shoulder; causing him to quickly shut it down.

"You shouldn't be watching this."

"Why not?"

"Because you're not a cop Lana," The way he spoke to her made her back away from him. "I'm sorry, I'm just up to my ass with this shit. Samcro. Your buddies." Lana smirks at the look he gives. That was a dig, but a playful one. Growth in it's rarest form when it came to their relationship; what was left of their relationship, anyway.

"I mean… I'll probably just steal the DVD on my way out; so..." Her facial expression softened, and Hale looked up at her; this time he was the one amused. The sad part of all of this was that she wasn't lying about stealing the DVD. Her innocent look, as he liked to call it, was like kryptonite to him, "Your choice." He reached up and pulled her down into his lap.

"Probably not the best thing to tell the Deputy Sheriff," He nudged her chin with his, and breathed her in. He was too much of a coward to admit his feelings were hurt the last time the both of them were together. He looked into her eyes and could tell that something was different about her. He always felt that Lana appeared to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, but that wasn't the case today. "God, I've missed you."

"What do you say you take the rest of the day off and show me how much?" Lana, in her own right could be very persuasive. She moved up from his lap and gave a look before leaning down to kiss his lips." Hale let out a small groan before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back down into his lap.

"Wish I could but, I'm knee deep in this shit today." His lips traveled south from hers to her neck and then up again capturing her lips with his own. She gently moved her hand down between them and gave a gentle tug on the bulge in his jeans, "You know what," he murmured against her lips. "It can wait... come here!"

* * *

Later on, Lana had plans to meet Piney at the club house. She was told that the guys had some business they'd be gone for. This opened a window for her to be in a Clay free environment. She had spilled her guts on a lot of things to Piney in the past; and Gemma in the more recent one. She was still a little nervous about how fast news traveled in the club. _Not_ that she was a club member, more of an invited guest. The thought made her smile while she walked through the door, "Piney?"

 **Nothing**. She had a bit of a skip to her step when she walked into the clubhouse. She looked to the bar; where she'd become so accustomed to seeing him sit. "Hello," she called out and nearly jumped when she heard Juice answer in the corner of the room.

"Oh."

Oh? She arched a brow and walked over to him, noting the laptop being open and the look of stress spread across his face. "Sorry. I was looking for Piney. He said he'd be here," Lana let out a sigh and took a seat next to him. "What are you looking up?"

"Oh, uhm, it's nothing," Juice quickly shut the laptop and forced a smile at her. "I don't know where he is. Haven't seen him all day, actually. Which is weird."

"Yeah I know, I expected him to be..."

" **at the bar** ," Juice and Lana laughed when they both had the same answer as far as where Piney should be, and where he wasn't. He was nervous, and smiled again, "I uhh...you his old lady or something?" The look and the laugh that followed was a quick answer to his question. One he was embarrassed to have asked. He looked down at his hands and then back up at her, "Sorry."

"Why do you keep apologizing," She was actually amused by the question. A lot of people thought she'd found herself a sugar daddy in Piney. It went without saying that he had her back, for whatever reasons, he did. It was nice to have someone to lean on in Charming. "No. I'm not his old lady... we just talk, you know?" She smiled when he did and looked out into the empty clubhouse, "It's nice to have someone to dump your shit on, you know?"

"Sounds like one of Luann's porno's," he joked and when she snorted, it only made them both laugh harder. It wasn't until Piney cleared his throat that they'd even noticed he had walked in. "You know for a big guy, you are surprisingly agile."

"Get lost Juice," He ordered, and Lana smiled at Juice and took note how he listened. Like an obedient dog, they were all like that to both Clay, Jax and Piney. She waved goodbye toi Juice who took his laptop and disappeared out of the clubhouse. "What are you doing cuddling up to Juice?"

Guilt written all over her face, she just smiled up at her surrogate father here in Charming and gave an innocent shrug. "Nothing."He clearly wasn't impressed with her answer and groaned when he sat down next to her. "You're late."

"I don't answer to you," he smirked before nudging her a bit. "I was needed on the road for a bit. Clay and the guys are actually on their way back. You should get lost." Lana turned to look at him and shook her head in defense. She wasn't leaving just because Clay was going to be there. "Important club business." He watched as Lana put her hands on her hips and he could see the clocks turning in her head. He knew she wasn't going to leave. "Dinner at your place tonight?"

Hesitant, she gave a look of surrender, "Fine. I found something in one of my mom's old journals I want to discuss with you anyway."

"Great," he groaned when the door busted open and the chorus of men's laughter mixed with yelling came through.

"Great," Lana parroted with a look of panic, that quickly turned to confusion, that quickly turned to amusement when Chibs lifted her from the ground singing and spinning her around. "What's going on?"

"Nothing darling," he smirked before placing a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek. "Gemma around?"

Lana looked confused and then met Jax's smile with one of her own, "Hey darling." She gave a shy wave and then laughed again at Chibs who was now dry humping the prospect. She'd never get male comradery. "You wanna get a hold of the girls and my mom. Dinner at 7."

"Sure," Lana smiled before moving to get around the guys. She smiled up at Opie who gave her a look. "Hey Ope."

"Hey," he smiled before following her outside. "Actually, hey... you got a second?" Lana turned back towards him and nodded her head. Her relationship with Opie since coming to Charming had been a good one. He was always very sweet on her, even moreso when Donna had passed away. She felt it was due to her helping Piney with the kids when she could, but maybe he didn't see her as what everyone else did.

"What's up?"

"You should uh.." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at her. Why did he tower over every woman he spoke to? "Come to dinner tonight. It'll be fun."

"Your definition of fun and mine, I think are very different." She laughed before nodding her head. In the corner of her eye she could see Clay staring at her, "I'll be there. Thanks Opie."

"Good."

* * *

Gemma had instructed all the crow eaters on exactly what their tasks were as far as dinner was concerned. Lana mostly stood on the sidelines watching how they all worked. Together, like a family. The idea was baffling to her. The men of the club treated a lot of these women like whores, while some of the lucky ones became first ladies. But still, it was a family. It _was_ impressive. If there was ever a time she felt like she didn't fit in, this was it. "Well don't just stand there sweetie, grab a plat and put it on the table." Luann barked at her, which Lana happily obeyed. Like an obedient dog. the thought was ironic to how she'd felt earlier at the clubhouse. She couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face.

"What," Gemma asked curious as to what she could possibly be smiling at?

"Nothing," Lana smirked. "I think I'm just figuring out how all of this works." The men all started to arrive and one by one they were greeted like gods and one by one they all greeted Gemma like their queen. Lana swallowed hard when she found herself staring face to face with Clay and when she went to turn away he reached out and took a hold of her arm.

"You got a second," His voice was low and Lana knew he was hiding the fact that he wanted to speak to her from Gemma. Nodding, Lana followed him outside with her hands wrapped across her chest. "Look, I just wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Curious Lana stared up at him.

"For treating you like garbage when you first got here," Clay didn't lower his voice or hide the fact that he was apologizing. Maybe this was some last ditch effort to get over with the boys who Jax had convinced Clay had some ulterior motive. Maybe he genuinely felt sorry. "And I didn't mean to break your necklace."

"I..." Lana began to speak but was surprised when he continued to talk over her. He clearly needed to get all of this out.

"Seeing that necklace around your neck just kind of made a lot of things real for me." Clay said staring at her, looking into her deep green and blue eyes. Seeing her for who she was, not what he'd originally thought she was. Seeing her mother. Seeing him. "Your ma, she was..." He hesitated and looked behind him for Gemma listening, but when he found they were truly alone outside he smiled. "She meant a lot kid, and that necklace was just a reminder to me that she was gone."

"I'm sorry too," Lana finally spoke up. I should have been a little more sympathetic. I knew she meant something to Samcro, knew she was somebody in Charming. I just... am still putting the pieces together you know?"

Neither Clay nor Lana noticed that Gemma had been standing in the door, but she listened as intently as possible. "I don't know where you came from, but you're welcome to stay here." Clay motioned back at the house and then forced a smile. "The clubhouse. Wherever. I don't mind." Lana's smile was wide and she was on the verge of tears. She could hug him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. You won't have problems from me about it." Clay nodded and when Lana hugged him, as surprising as it was, he hugged her back.

"Thanks Clay," she whispered against him.

"Yeah." He nodded tightening his arms around her. All the while Gemma staring at the both of them through the window.


	10. Chapter 10 - Falx Cerebri

**NOTE:** Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews and PM's lately! I'm so glad there's so many of you who are fans of Clay being the father! A lot of excitement and other "truths" coming out this chapter and next. I did want to clear up a little confusion and answer some questions that have been asked more than once. Thus far, Clay ( & Juice) are the only ones that know Lana is his daughter. Lana believes there wasn't a will. However we find out in this chapter that someone else knows as well. Gemma suspects, but doesn't "know" if it's true. Trust the process though, it'll all be coming out in a huge way! Enjoy! (Season 2 Ep 6)

* * *

"So that's it" Lana shook her head in disbelief while both Gemma and Tara stood in the hospital room where Chibs lay in bed from an injury that could have killed him. An explosion that was meant for more than just Chibs but the entire club as well. What would have happened if it were a kid that had been playing around the van, or someone else? She was furious. It may have been the cop in her, or her attention to detail lately, but this was to much. She got everyone had their roles that they had to play, but she had one as well. It certainly wasn't sitting in a hospital room not wondering what was going to happen next. "We're just going to sit here and not pretend that that bomb wasn't planted by Zobelle?"

"It's not your business darling," Gemma stared at her, clearly frustrated by all the events that had transpired in the past twenty four hours. "Why don't you go home and get some rest. Maybe see if Hale found something out. That'd be a big help."

Tara, who had been listening to the both of them disagree, and agree had decided now was the time to pick her side. While second nature was to side with Gemma, she couldn't help but see the logic Lana brought to the table. "She's got a point here Gem. Where the people who were behind the explosion the same people who attacked you?" Gemma remained hum, and the look that was exchanged by the two younger woman was a knowing one. "Chibs is going to be okay, he's lucky." Gemma, who couldn't take any more of this feeling sorry for themselves that both women had been doing decided now was as good a time as any to just leave them be.

"Do you really think he's going to be okay?" Lana moved over to Chibs bedside and smiled down at him. He was sleeping with the aid of a lot of medication. Still, it was terrifying. Tara watched Lana take Chibs' hand and give it a squeeze. She couldn't help but feel like a part of herself reflected from Lana. Fearing for her safety and the clubs. That worry of something awful happening. She recognized the behavior right away. "You really care about them don't you?"

"Don't you," The raven haired woman looked up at Tara and sighed hard. "They're really hard on me... and I don't know where I stand most days with some of them; but, I can't stay away." She didn't want to stay away too, which was cause for half the issue. Every part of what Hale had told her of Samcro had been right. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she belonged. She was meant to find Samcro.

"Yeah, yeah I do. I've known them my whole life." Tara leaned against the wall and just sat there quiet thinking about her own situation with Jax. How unsure she was about their future. "You should see if Hale knows anything, he'd be more likely to tell you than Jax."

"Jax," Lana questioned, but the look on Tara's face made her stay quiet. "Yeah, I'll give him a call. At the very least, I can push him that way... you know?"

* * *

A few hours later, Lana, found herself at the clubhouse waiting on word from the guys. Juice had informed her that he was meant to stay behind and powerwash all evidence before the feds showed up of an explosion ever happening there. Lana offered to help, but was turned away. It was just something that he had to do on his own. Hale was told by Jax that Clay was demanding retaliation for what happened to Chibs. She realized it wasn't her place at the hospital, but she also realized how much she cared for these guys too there. Jax was appreciative of her pushing Hale to lean a little on his side and beat Unser to the punch at helping Clay. Lana appreciated that he trusted her enough to enlist her help in the matter. A few hours had turned to four or five and Lana had passed out in the chair with her laptop open and everything she managed to dig up on Zobelle exposed.

When the guys had come back to the clubhouse half of them went straight to the chapel, while Clay and Tig stayed behind to discuss what needed to be done. Before Tig could get two words out he motioned got Clay to stop talking and pointed over to the sleeping Lana in the corner. Clay walked over and took her laptop careful not to wake her up. He was almost proud for a second; seeing how much about Zobelle she managed to find. Disappointed however that it was a lot of the same stuff Juice had already found.

"What do you wanna do about her," Tig motioned down to the sleeping woman and then back at the laptop.

"Let her sleep," Clay ordered before motioning towards the Chapel. "I'll be inside in a sec." Once Tig left Clay, he sat down next to her and watched her sleep for a minute. He missed everything about her. He still didn't want to believe what Juice had said about her mother's will. Reading it up close and seeing it there in words however, made it too real. He sat there entertaining the idea of being a father to her, it was too late. _Shit_. He thought, "I'm sorry." He whispered down before deleting the file on her laptop and breaking the laptop itself by slowly pouring the glass of whiskey she'd been drinking all over the keyboard. "It's for your own good kid."

* * *

Both Hale and Jax had come to an agreement. The only reason he was willing to help was because Jax said it would be a peaceful resolution for Charming. Things would be done his way, by the book. Much to Hale's dismay and opinion of the club and it's members; he was starting to see Lana's perspective. Believe in it even. People weren't inherently bad, they chose to be. He wanted peace in Charming, so did Jax. While his methods were a little unorthodox, he truly believed him when Jax told him they wanted the same thing.

"I know this isn't exactly the place," Hale started while giving him all the information he had on Zobelle. The location of his home, the men that worked for him.

Jax, who still felt a part of him was betraying his club by even entertaining the idea of a peaceful resolution took the information and then looked up in disbelief at everything Hale was handing over. "You're not going to turn this into some gay love fest are you?"

"No," Hale angrily spat back. He sighed and motioned at the information in Jay's hands. Both of which could cost him his job and his life. "Lana..."

"What about her?"

"Keep her safe," Hale straightened the jacket he was wearing and cleared his throat. "She's not like the other women that hang around your club."

"Thank God for that." His answer was a playful jab, but Jax could tell this conversation was going to get serious fast. He wondered why Hale was even bothering. Nothing against Lana, he didn't know her well enough to judge her; but, she and Hale made no sense to him. "She in trouble?"

"Just, promise me you'll keep her safe. Or this deal is off." Jax nodded and arched a brow at Hale who was now using Lana as a bargaining tool of his own. "She doesn't see the danger in the club, and I can't keep her away from it. I can't protect her."

"... yes you can," Jax whispered.

"Not like you guys can," as hard as it was for Hale to admit, he felt better for doing so. "If I tell you what I know, you have to promise me you won't take it out in her. That you'll accept her and..."

"She's a cop," Jax had already suspected and he didn't know if he was fully prepared to hear Hale admit it.

"No," Hale whispered back before handing him another folder. Everything he needed to know about Lana Montgomery. Even things she may not know herself. Things about her that he'd been keeping hidden from her since their original meeting. "You'll understand why once you read it. It's all there. Just, promise me."

Confused, Jax nods his head. "Okay man. I promise."

* * *

At the hospital, Hale ran into Gemma on his way to check on Chibs. He suspected he'd find her here. "How's Chibs?" The look on Gemma's face was one of worry and disgust. She truly hated everyone wearing a badge and Hale knew it. Still, she had a soft spot for the cop. Not only had she known him his whole life, but he was with Lana. So long as that was a thing, she accepted it; and him, for what it was.

"Good," she whispered looking around for Tara, whom was going home with her.

"You got a minute," Hale asked before showing her to the side where they wouldn't be heard. Today was a day of truths, and Hale was marking another off his list.

"For what?"

"I've," he started taking note of how uneasy she was around him. "I've kind of hit a wall, trying to find who did this." He leaned against the nearest wall and sighs, "I was hoping you could help?"

"Me," With her arms folded across her chest - Gemma asked confused, truly. "Well, I don't know anything more than what the guys do."

"Unser told me some things," Hale finally spoke and stared at her with pure concern. "About you, what happened. At least what he knows."

"Piece of shit."

"He had to."

SHUT UP," Gemma demanded and she looked at him crazed, his blue eyes were piercing through her, but she still remained quiet.

"Give me something, anything that you remember?" Hale watched as she turned away, and he suspected that Gemma felt he may be judging her, but he wasn't. He could never. "It never goes on record."

"Lana," Gemma whispers in question.

"She doesn't know."

"Yes," The older woman turned back to him and shook her head. "Yes, she does. She knows everything." Hale did his best to hide the fact that he was hurt from his own girlfriend not sharing this information. Maybe she was deeper in the club than he realized. "Why are you so interested in helping us?"

"Because I love her Gemma. I love her. So much it kills me, you know what I did today?" Hale pulled her aside a little more and leaned in. "I begged your son to keep her safe, because so long as she stays connected to your club, I can't. She wont... she refuses to stay away from you people. She loves you. She's been doing all this research on you and the club. Trying to piece back a puzzle from her dead mother and it's given her nothing but hero worship on a life that will kill her too."

Staring at him, she sighed. Surprised, even for her, this was something she didn't think was as deep as it was. "We care about her too."

"And Clay?"

"Clay?" Gemma asked confused.

"He care about her too?"

"Well I don't know, eventually he will."

"Listen, just because I'm a cop doesn't mean I don't give a shit about folks that I grew up with." Gemma, hesitant gives a look and eventually gives in and starts describing as much as memory will allow who she saw the night of her rape. The girl, blond. "I'm sorr.."

"If you." Gemma snaps back fast, "Or your cancerous boss tell any one else what happened to me - I will cut both of your big soft hearts out."

* * *

"No... no no no NO!" Lana screamed out in frustration as she pressed buttons furiously on her laptop. "Fuck. What happened?!" She looked around and spotted the prospect, "Hey Half Sac, was anybody over here when I was sleeping?"

"Uhm, I don't think so why?" He came over curious and took note as to how her expression went from her normal peaceful demeanor to frustrated and upset very quickly.

"My laptop. I must have spilled something on it when I was sleeping. It's fried." She couldn't hide the tears in her eyes before she pushed the laptop across the table. "Are you sure you didn't see anybody over here?"

"What's wrong darling," Lana glanced up at Gemma and shook her head. Some would say she was acting like a spoiled brat for crying over this, but her whole life's research was on that computer. Everything she managed to find out about her mother, charming, Zobelle. "Lana, what's wrong?" Gemma came over worried at the girl crying.

"I have to go," Lana moved from Gemma's grasp and stormed out.

"What happened?"

"Someone broke her laptop," Sac casually responded before picking it up and hiding it under his arm. "I'll see if Juice can fix it. Never seen her so upset."

"No." That caught a look from Sac, but he wasn't about to argue with Gemma so he just handed it over. "I'll see if Juice can fix it, you've got work to do." When Gemma was alone, she started hitting buttons on the laptop, but to no avail. "Damn."

* * *

Like a coward dog, Hale had arrived at Lana's with his tail between his legs. He wanted to do right by her and help Jax. Still, it was a failed attempt and now all of Samcro were being escorted to jail. Rather than explain what had happened, or why his agreement with Jax had failed; he climbed into bed with his raven haired woman and held her close to him. "Hey."

Lana moved closer to him and let out a sigh. She had a lot to think about the past day or so. "I'm going to go to the cabin with Piney for a few days. I need to get away for a bit. Figure some shit out." Hale stared at the back of her head intently and shook his head.

"You can always just stay at my place. We got Zobelle, I know his day is coming. It's only a matter of time before he's done for good. " Lana turned to face him and leaned in for a kiss. "I know you're worried about them..."

Shaking her head, Lana said, "No. I saw on the news that my dad won his seat in the senate. I'm worried he'll find me." Confused, Hale waited for further explanation, and to his surprise, Lana provided it. "I breached his security on my laptop, and took back the assets he froze of mine... among other things."

"You mean you stole from him."

"Took what was mine. There's a difference." Lana, who was normally so sure of herself and the moves she'd made up to this point, was different. Hale noticed it right away, she was afraid. As strange as it was, seeing this vulnerability only drew him in closer. "I... still have friends back in Oregon. They gave me a heads up. He's not happy... and it's only a matter of time before he comes here looking for me."

"I don't know what to say..."

Truly, Hale was left speechless the more she revealed about herself and what kind of person she was. "He knows I'm in Charming... I left a trail." Truthfully, it was purposeful. Leading him back to Charming with full intent and hope that it'd open the door she needed to finally put to rest all this shit about her mom.

"Why would you do that?" Hale, afraid he already knew the answer just watched her get up from the bed and grab something from her dresser drawer. She wanted Samcro to kill him. Sad thing was, they probably would. "What's that," Hale asked taking the manila envelope from her.

"... someone sent this to me. It's a photo of my father and Zobelle, and," She handed it over and looked at him. Having seen and physically meeting the other man in the photo before she waited for his response to it.

"That's my brother," That much Hale was sure of; the reasoning behind it was throwing him for a loop. "What's he doing with your dad?"

Shaking her head, she had a few ideas. "... So I started having Juice help me with some things. He can hack into a lot of shit that I can't. I was more curious than anything, I didn't start out intentionally wanting to steal money." Lana started before sitting back on the edge of the bed and pulling her feet underneath her. "He's been funding a lot more than just land deals. He's working with Zobelle and Weston." She flips a few pages for him and points to the wire transfers.

"Juice know?" By Juice, he really wanted to ask if Clay knew. This could backfire on her severely if he did. He was sure Samcro would turn this around on her, and he wasn't ready to deal with those consequences if they did.

"No. I just needed his help to get inside the accounts. He didn't know what he was looking for," Lana shook her head and then sighed, exhausted by all of this. "Besides, these copies and that picture everything else was on my laptop. I can't prove that's an account for Zobelle. I lost everything." Hale stared down at the photo, it had to have been a month or so old. Based on the copies of the bank transactions, anyway.

"So why the cabin?"

"Piney has a manuscript from John Teller," Lana looks up at him and sighs. "He thinks some of the things my mom mentions in her journals are in conjunction with that. Besides, he says my mom used to go up there a lot with some of the guys. Worth a shot."

"What if it's a dead end?"

"What if it's not?" Lana smiled before reaching over and running a hand along his cheek. Those blue eyes made her weak in the worst way. "I think I figured out who my mom was sleeping with. It's gotta be Piney. I just don't know why he won't admit it."

"Don't know," He leaned into her touch and kissed the inside of her hand. He didn't like lying to her, but he trusted when the time was right Jax could help her with all of this. "Call me when you get up there." Hale whispered before pulling her across the bed and into his arms. "I love you."

* * *

A few days later the dust had settled; Piney and Lana decided it was time to make that drive back to Charming. Piney watched her in the passenger seat as he drove down the highway. "You going to say anything?" Lana just shook her head and stared out the window. Her weekend had been turned upside down with the news about her mom that she discovered at the cabin. "Come on," Piney said nudging her a bit on her thigh. "It's not like you to stay quiet."

"There's not much to say," Lana finally spoke, still her attention turned towards the window. She watched as they passed utility pole after utility pole and folded her arms across her chest. Piney knew her well enough now to know that she was processing whatever it was she needed to get out.

"Look, I'm sorry. I should have told you when you asked."

Nodding her head, Lana couldn't help but agree. "You should have," she finally turns to look at him and shakes her head. "Clay and my mother had an affair. She left Charming because she couldn't face Gemma. I _know_ that's why. It has to be." The closer Lana got to figuring out the truth, the more Piney wished she didn't. It was for her own good to be as far away from Clay as possible. He watched him manipulate her mother, and he didn't want to watch the same thing happen to Lana. "How am I going to tell Gemma?" What if Gemma wanted to get rid of Lana because of it. With her mind racing a mile a minute, all Lana could do was stare over at Piney.

"Don't. The past is in the past. Let it stay buried."

"Why else would everyone not want to talk about her? My mom. Just **another** Crow Eater." You could hear the disappointment in her voice, and it had stirred something in Piney causing him to pull off onto the side of the road. "What the hell?"

"Now you listen here," He turned to face her and when he pointed his finger at her, she was kind of taken aback by it. "Your mother wasn't a god damn crow eater. She wasn't even on the same radar as those women you see every day. She was like a sister to so many of us and I don't know what happened, or how it happened, but it did. She didn't leave because she had an affair, she left because she got.. She just wanted to get out," Lana's eyes went wide. "She meant a lot to all of us, that's all. I can't even tell you one of those sweet butt's names' at Teller Morrow."

"... fine," Lana whispered.

"Fine."

"Fine," Lana whispered, again. Lana stared wildly at Piney when he pulled back into the road. She studied his face for something, anything. "For what it's worth," She sighed, "I wish it was you." That caught him by surprise and he didn't say anything for almost five minutes.

"... me too."

* * *

At the clubhouse Lana had come outside for some air. Between the stench of stale sex and beer, the motor oil from the cars was an obvious turn around. She watched from the picnic table as Tig and Clay walked up talking. "... Doubt it. It's already got you spun around." Clay tells Tig, Lana listens carefully but they're still too far away for her to make out the words. Why couldn't she have been fluent in mime? She hummed a bit trying to get closer, but still - both men made good on not being heard.

"Whoa, what's that mean?" Taking his sunglasses off his face, Tig stares a hole through Clay. Lana sits up some watching intently.

"For killing Donna, the flips aren't switching. Gotta make sure that patch makes sense."

"You think I can't make the hard call?" Tig stares at Clay in disbelief, "After all the shit that I've done for you and this club?" Don't stop, don't stop, dammit. Lana thought to herself when they planted their feet in one spot. She moved a little closer, but it still didn't help. She was deaf to the situation.

"It's not about the shit you've done, it's about the shit you have to do." Lana watched as both men leaned into each other, and while their voices were muffled, she could tell by their facial expressions and body language that whatever they were talking about was pretty heated.

"I can do my job."

"Good to know," Clay says walking away to answer his phone. He doesn't even acknowledge Lana when he walks by her, but the second Tig sees her standing there he walks over.

"Bad day?" Lana smirks, of course it was. "What was _that_ about?"

"You heard that?" curious, Tig gives her a look over and then glances back at Clay. He was frustrated, hell. They all were!

"No," Lana smiles and looks down at her feet as they dig into the gravel. "You want to give me a ride to my place?"

"Sure." Tig smiled down at her and just as he started to open his mouth Clay came over, which earned an annoyed sigh from his right hand man.

"We gotta go." He stared down at Lana and then gave Tig a dirty look as rebuttle. "Gemma tell you about dinner tonight?" Lana nodded her head and then gave Tig a soft squeeze on his arm before taking a step back. "You going to come?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it." Lana smiled and then exchanged an innocent glance with Tig before the both of them walked away. Pulling out her phone, she gave Hale a ring. no answer.

* * *

As promised, Gemma had prepared a beautiful dinner for the club. The boys needed this as much as she did. Shit had gotten out of control fast, she could feel it. The shift in leadership was undeniable and it genuinely scared her, for Clay; more importantly, for Jackson. "Here darling, put this on the table." The senior club member hands the roast off to Lana and Lana sets it aside when Tara comes storming in.

"Hey," Lana calls over before lifting the roast a second time. "You got a sec?"

"I don't have time to deal with your mommy issues." Tara spat out before making a beeline to Gemma. While insulted, Lana had learned that picking your battles with these women was just as important as fighting them. She ignored their argument for the most part, but made note when she'd heard the words, "hostile work environment" and "passionate conversation" came up between the both of them. Seconds later Lana's almost run over by Lyla whom is now storming passed, and when she looks to Gemma and Tara for any kind of explanation or admission – neither give it.

Everyone starts to take their seats at the table when Clay and the others arrive. Clay is fuming: he and Tig confront Jax, Op, and Bobby about being AWOL; Jax says they had to "deliver payback" for Caracara. There are clearly some hard feelings between Clay's crew and Jax's; the two factions argue heatedly until Hale calls out, "Excuse me. Didn't mean to interrupt," He searches the room and sees Lana in the corner and then looks at everyone else, sad. "I thought I should tell you in person…"

After Hale breaks the news about Luann; everyone stands there stunned. It doesn't take long before the club start fighting with each other again, "Did you do this?" Clay angrily screams at Jax.

"I'm not the one murdering women!" Gemma watches as her husband and her son go at each other again: it's more than she can take. She picks up the roast beef platter and slams it to the table; shattering the ceramic hard against it – the impact causing the entire room to go silent.


	11. Chapter 11 - Balm

**Note:** Thanks for everyone that's added this story to their favorites thus far and for all of you for following along. Last chapter was more of a hurry up and get it posted type. I promise to bring the goods this one! I do try to respond to every review when they come in. Apologies if I missed yours. If you are following along per the series (which this story is following, loosely - we are in season 2 episode 10) In regards to Lana/Tig it's more of a slow burn. We all know what happens w/ Hale and the plan is to cannon his story as much as possible. We're going to start to see her and how she interacts with other club members as well. More Clay/Lana! More Gemma/Lana. This is also going to be the beginning of her budding relationship/friendship with Jax - which the whole story is based around - as Lana's story is parallel to his. I appreciate you guys! Thanks for reading!

* * *

Carrying boxes up the stairs of Lana's home, Juice tries his best to avoid dropping or breaking anything. "Alright, I think this is the last of it," He calls out over the hoard of boxes already set in place. He looks around and when he doesn't see the raven haired woman, he goes on a one man search party. "Lana?" The petite woman stands there admiring herself in the mirror. Juice smirked a little, "looks nice."

"Thanks," she smiled before taking the jacket off. "I found it in one of these boxes. Didn't realize how much shit she had, you know?" Juice, having been the one to help bring all of this stuff in – had some idea. "Thanks again, even if Clay forced you to do it." Even if Clay hadn't been the one to force him to do it, he just got out of the hospital after being stabbed while in jail. She wouldn't have been upset if he said no.

Things with the club had been quiet since Luann's death. Rather than question why she needed the help, Clay had offered Lana whatever she needed. When the arrival of all of her mothers' belongings had been shipped out from storage, she really only needed a heavy lifter. Juice had provided that among so many other things.

"I think you should keep it," he says noting her hesitance on taking the jacket off. "Looks better on you anyway, than in a box," grabbing the jacket from the box he hands it back to her. "Besides, you have to own some leather if you really want to fit in, right?"

Smirking, she puts the jacket back on and nods her head at the reflection staring back at her in the mirror, "Yeah." She watched Juice through the reflection as he started going through some of the boxes, it wasn't unnatural for her, or even uncomfortable; as opposed to the first time she'd asked him for help. She still wasn't sure if it had to do with everyone in the club thinking she was a cop, or his own choice in being so weird around her – but she was glad they'd found this spot.

"Hey," he called with both arms elbow deep in a box. "What's this?" Lana walks over to him just as he pulls out a small box. She takes it from him and opens it; and Juice looks through the box for something, anything; A note, maybe. Unfortunately for him, he isn't fast enough in hiding it because Lana pulls it out of his hand. "What's it say?"

"It's from Clay," Lana's voice goes soft, and her legs give out underneath her. Juice moves from the chair and lets her sit down before biting the sides of his cheeks when she mentions Clay. "…he wanted to marry her." Piney had made Lana believe that her mother and Clay had some short lived affair, but that wasn't true. Why would he lie to her? She handed Juice the ring, and the letter, from Clay – to her mother. "You can't tell anyone."

Putting his hands up quickly in defeat, "I won't. Shit like this would kill the club. Or Gemma would kill Clay." Juice stared over at the box and put the ring back inside of it. He looks back at her, and when he realizes she's not paying attention to what he's doing, he goes through the box some more. "There isn't anything else in here." He lies, before taking out a copy of her birth certificate. Unsigned, like the one he was able to pull up for Clay. He swallows hard when he sees the letterhead on another packet of papers – are the same as those on Lana's mothers' will. He quickly folds them up and pockets them. "I uh, I gotta piss."

* * *

The club had its own bullshit to deal with lately. Jax wanting to go Nomad, and Clay actually putting it up for a vote had sent tremors through the club. It didn't matter which end of the spectrum you were standing - President of the club, or newcomer like Lana. While reactions slightly differed from one to the next, everyone felt a certain type of way about it. Gemma, who'd been known to have a loud opinion on most club related matters - had been quiet all afternoon. She knew her husband, but most of all, she knew her son. This wasn't going to be good for either of them. Gemma was a planner, everything she did had a purpose. There was a lot of purpose missing in this damn club lately, and the very idea of losing her son made her sick to her stomach.

"Hey baby," Clay whispered walking up behind her. His arms wrap around her and pull her close to him. When she tenses up against him, he doesn't say anything. Too much shit has been going on between them lately. The shit with Jax only adding to their marriage issues. "What's the matter with you?"

"What isn't the matter with me?"

"Stay out of it Gem." Letting his wife go, he slowly walks towards the bed and sits down. He watches her, watches the way her mind works. He knows she's scheming something in that head of hers. "I mean it, stay out of this Gem."

"He's my son," Gemma responded.

"This is my club!" Clay gets up from the bed, now pissed at the situation. "He wants to go Nomad, let him! All he's doing is tearing this club apart! He's acting more and more like John every day." Ignoring the knocking on the door, Clay starts to slam dresser drawers shut and grabs something to change into. "Will ya get that damn door." Gemma, instead of fighting with him, leaves him to his yelling in the bedroom. When she opens the door, she arches a brow at Juice standing there on the other side of it.

"Hey darling," her brow arches and she moves to let him in. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Juice sighs. "Is... Is Clay home? I gotta give him something."

"I'll give it to him." Gemma puts her hand on her hip and holds out her hand for whatever is so important that Juice had to hand deliver it. Gemma took note of how much Juice hesitated before handing over a bunch of folded up papers. "He's in the shower." She smiles at him before looking at the papers, again. "What is all this stuff anyway?"

"Oh uh, just some papers he might want. Thanks Gemma." Juice smiled at her, assuming that Clay tells Gemma a lot, so he'd probably have mentioned Lana and her mother once or twice since finding out, he himself, was her father. Still, there was a part of him that knew Clay would ring his neck if he were wrong about Gemma knowing. Juice left, and Gemma shut the door behind him. She waited a few minutes, and when Clay hadn't come out to see who it was - she'd assumed he went to bed. Curiosity got the best of her and she took the papers, poured herself a cup of coffee and read their contents. Every last word.

* * *

The next day Lana walked into Teller Morrow a little confused when she saw not one, but all of Samcro working in the garage. She watched with curiosity and amusement. Clay noticed her shadow before following it up and seeing it was her. He arched a brow, equally amused by the look on her face and decided he'd be the one to speak first. "Something funny?" He walked over with the rag in his hands trying to wipe as much oil off as possible.

"No," she admitted, a little nervous at first. Her intent wasn't to offend, but rather make an observation. "I just, didn't..." pointing over at Tig and Opie whom both were working on vehicles, respectively. "I didn't think you guys actually did any of the work. I'm impressed." Clay, now smiling, led her out of the garage. "Am I in trouble?"

"No," He whispered, there was a slight laugh in his response. Which, usually never meant what it's intended purpose was. Lana gave a look back at the guys and then up at Clay, whom now was the one casting the large shadow. "Just never got a chance to thank you for staying with Gemma after all that shit about Luann happened."

"Of course," Lana nodded her head in agreement. She still wasn't used to this. The whole positive reinforcement he'd started giving her. It meant a lot that he was willing to give her a chance. Even if it was a small task, he noticed, and always pointed it out that he had. When she thought back to the clubs reception of her earlier - she'd never thought they'd be where they were now. A small part of her thought it was Piney's doing, but when Clay started being nicer to her, she felt like it was her own. "I love Gem, she was hurting so it wasn't a big deal."

"It was, and I noticed. You didn't know Lu like we all did." Clay finally stopped walking and gave her a smile. He was unusually happy. Probably more to do with Jax wanting to go nomad, but whatever. "I uh..." he started to stumble on his words and his entire expression changed. Lana arched a brow and kind of smiled. Whatever he was trying to get out must not be something that came easy, which in turn made her fully invested. She wanted to tell him that she knew about him having an affair with her mother, but something in her made her stay quiet. "Never mind."

"I'm sorry," Lana questioned? She cocked her head curiously at the hesitance in his voice, which matched perfectly with her own. She sighed when he turned his attention to Opie and Sac pulling into the garage. _Great_ , she thought.

"Also, uh... stay away from Tig. He'll give you worms." He made quick to finish whatever conversation they had before walking away to go deal with his shit. Lana stood there dumbfounded by what he'd said, but rather than press it, like she's always been known to do - she just helped herself to Gemma's office. When she heard Gemma and Tara's voices inside, she waited outside for a few seconds, where; Gemma was obviously upset about Jax, and Tara playing devils advocate a bit about it being a good idea; before leaving to find Jax.

* * *

Nobody was happy about Jax's want to get out. Even if it seemed like a good idea on the surface, even Lana didn't understand the need for it. She'd casually listened to the guys talk about it, hell, even Jax himself had told her a few things here and there. Still, it didn't make sense. Tara was good at playing Devils Advocate when it came to Gemma, but now it was Lana's turn to do the same thing with Jax. When Lana had first approached the subject, Jax was keen on keeping quiet. Even with all the work she'd been doing, she still wasn't somebody he trusted, which stung a little. Besides Gemma and Clay, Lana worked hard for his trust.

When she revealed knowing about Donna, he opened up a bit more. Hale had given her a lot of information in his attempts to stay away from the club, but she didn't want to believe they were capable of doing those things. There was a part of her that didn't want to believe Clay could set up something like that, but the same part of her understood just how dirty a task within the club could be. She listened to him for an hour vent about shit being turned upside down since then, and hint at feelings of jealousy and betrayal even longer before that. Jax didn't ask for anything in return outside of Lana's ear. She wasn't Tara and she sure as shit wasn't his mother. She was just someone new, who didn't know any better.

In return for all of Jax's honesty towards her; Lana opened up a bit of herself for him as well. She made note that he didn't even flinch when she'd expressed the pain of growing up without a parent. A cross he too had to bare. He didn't even blink when she told him how manipulative her father was, and could be. Something he saw often in his own mother. When she told him she feared for her life, of not being able to live it the way she believed her mother wanted her to; he leaned in intently. Feeling the same way about his father, and the legacy he'd sought with the club and himself. Lana had swore naivety when it came to her arrival in Charming, but then offered up all the questions and their answers that she'd discovered since. When Lana revealed that she too, had killed someone he made note of the way she spoke about it. Serene and matter of fact. He was the one listening now; paying attention to every detail in the way she spoke. Her eyes lit up when she talked about her mother, he remembered feeling that way once with John. Her lips curled when she described eerie details about her past, which he found respect in. And her arms, her arms whaled from one direction to the next, when she tried to get her point across, which she didn't need to do. He believed her. He believed every single word.

"Looks like we're two sides of the same coin, darlin'" The irony in his response to everything had been the truth behind it. Jax kept to himself that Hale had given him an envelope with Lana's name on it. He put it up with some shit in storage, but made note to find the time to look at it.

"Still," Lana sighed with a half-hearted smile. "It doesn't change anything does it?" Her smile faded when he shook his head. "You know what I think?"

"What's that darling?"

She smiled, "I think the hell with them. We make our own paths right?"

"That's what they say."

"So if you need to go Nomad to save the club, then do it. I don't know Clay as well as you do. We aren't inherently bad, and I just like to believe that if my mother saw good in him, and in this club - that it existed. Jax..." Lana smiled over at him and gave a stern look, and he met her eyes and stood up. He swallowed hard and looked over at her, referring to earlier when she told her story. Seeing the sincerity in her expression, one that matched very few people he knew; in the club, and otherwise. "It still does, you just gotta find it." Lana truly believed that, and when Jax walked over to her and closed the space between them, she didn't know what to prepare for. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him for a hug, she smiled against him.

"Thanks darling." Neither Jax nor Lana said a word to one another for a second or so, until Jax told her it was time for the vote, and Lana offered up another ear - had he needed it later on.

* * *

Jax and Tara wait at Gemma's house; Lana arrives next and questions what the other two were doing there. Jax and Lana lock eyes for a second, but when Tara notices, Lana looks away and helps herself to a cup of coffee. The three of them sit in silence until Gemma arrives with Clay. Both Jax and Clay are surprised to see the other, but Gemma jumps on them before the have a chance to speak.

"Sit down," Gemma demands. "Both of you." Lana, now standing side by side with Tara watch as Gemma walks over to the table. Both woman know what's about to come; neither Clay or Jax know what to make of it. Making notice that this would be a family conversation, Lana tries to leave, but the older woman stops her. "You too sweetheart, sit." Nervous, she moves to sit down next to Gemma at the table. "You know what it is I have to tell them."

Clay looks at Lana confused, and then over at Tara whom was also staring guiltily down at her lap. Jax stared at his mother and then over at Tara. "What is this?" Clay cautiously asked.

"The night of Bobby's party," Gemma started, and something trembled inside of Lana making tears swell up in her eyes, she was quick to straighten herself in the chair and give Gemma all the time she needed. "I didn't get into an accident driving home," Gemma continued. "I was attacked." Gemma continues her story of the night she was raped, and it sends chills down Lana's spine. "A minivan pulls up behind me. Girl jumps out in a panic, says her baby's choking." Tara stares at Gemma and forces her lips shut tightly before looking down at her hands.

"That girl was... very convincing," Gemma told them, locking eyes with Clay. "It was a god damn doll in the car seat" Gemma continues her story; slowly the men begin to figure out where it is headed. Clay's eyes begin to water, and Lana can't take her eyes off of him. "They hit me over the back of the head... with a blackjack or, something."

"I came to, handcuffed to a chain link utility house out by the access road" Gemma swallowed, and Lana looked at her and shook her head a bit, her heart breaking, again. She tells them about Weston, and the repeated gang rape and about his warning to Clay about selling guns to color, or they'd do it again. Lana jumped when Jax slammed his hand angrily on the table. Both Jax and Clay process the news, and Lana shuts her eyes for a second before taking Gemma's hand in hers and giving it a little squeeze.

Near tears, Jax gets up from his chair and walks over to Gemma and kisses his mother's hands. He places a supportive hand on Clay's shoulder; Clay reciprocates. It is a simple but powerful gesture. Lana sits up and meets his eyes before he leaves with Tara. She finally gets up from her spot next to Gemma at the table and leans down to hug Gemma, "I love you." She whispers, Gemma doesn't reciprocate the words, but places a soft kiss against the raven haired girl's cheek and that says enough. When she makes contact with Clay, she moves past and looks back as Clay cradles his wife's face in his hands, unsure what to say. As Jax and Tara leave, Lana watches as he stops at the doorway and reclaims his patches from the counter. He looks back at his mom and Clay, but sees Lana staring at him. He mouth's the words 'thank you' at her and turns to leave.


	12. Chapter 12 - Lessons

**Note:** thanks for all the love on the last couple chapters! Hopefully I got back to all of you. Parts of Lana's past is introduced this chapter and we finally get to meet Lana's father  & brother!

* * *

Gemma revealing details about her rape had come at the best time possible when it came to the club. Both Jax and Clay moved fast towards devising a plan of revenge. Their solidarity was noteworthy; Lana couldn't remember a time seeing them so focused on one goal - since arriving in Charming. While most would call Gemma opportunistic, the raven haired woman wasn't convinced that revealing the truth about her attack was as pre-meditated as one would think. Every truth finds its way to the surface sooner or later. Drowning in her own thoughts, Lana barely noticed that somebody had been calling out to her.

"Excuse me," the man called again, this time more aggressively than the last. When Lana finally realized he'd been directing that anger towards her, she moved from the end of the bar, where she had been daydreaming, towards where he sat. "Can I get another one?"

"Sure," she replied, forcing a smile. There was nothing appealing about working behind a bar all day, not when the most she had to deal with were asshole drunks and truck drivers. _Why_ didn't she take Gemma up on her offer to work at TM was beyond her. _Working at the bar kept her humble_. Reminded her of why she'd come to Charming in the first place.

"And don't charge me for that, I've been waiting here for five minutes." His words were slurred and Lana could tell he'd already had a few before he had even gotten to the bar. Still, she didn't say anything and just went on her business. She began to wipe down the bar and put away clean glasses until the drunk patron started to get her attention again. "Don't I know you?" Shaking her head, she politely ignored him and continued her tasks. This time it was the beer that needed tending to. "Yeah, I do. I know you. You're that senator's kid, aren't you?"

"Must have me confused with someone," Lana politely smiled. "I don't know any senators, sorry."

Anytime anyone had said they knew her, it'd always proven to lead to something bad. In an attempt to ignore his eyes watching her, she found every excuse to get away from the bar area. at one point, she even considered taking up smoking if it meant she didn't have to feel him gawking at her general vicinity. Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of the Samcro kuttes walking in, she finally relaxed a little. "Aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes," she smiled before making her way back behind the bar. Tig was first to sit down, and Lana couldn't help but blush a bit when he called her name towards the end of the bar where they were at. Their eyes met, and the rush of guilt was instantaneous. It was unfair to Hale, whom she'd been dating and just recently entertaining the idea of moving in with - to even playfully flirt with Tig.

"Just making a pit stop," Juice reassured, and Lana didn't hide the disappointment in her face. She motioned a bit to the guy at the other end of the bar and made a face. "Clay has us on some Mayan detail. You were on the way," Juice looks at the guy, and then up at her with a goofy smile. "Can I get a beer?"

"Everything okay," Again, not her business, but it was hard not to ask. It was even harder pretending she didn't want to know. Tig kind of waved it off and she smiled over at him. "Oh, I'm making a lasagna tonight. If you guys... wanted to join Piney and I."

"What's a..." Tig licked his lips a bit and leaned in curious. "You into older guys or what?"

"Or what," Lana smirked. "He comes over every Thursday night. I cook. We shoot the shit." She rolls her eyes and leans over the bar to give both Juice and Tig her undivided attention. "I like him. He's like a dad I never had, or always wanted; I can't decide which." Neither man said a word, as both gulped down their draft beer.

"I'll think about it." Tig presses his lips together before lifting his draft filled mug to them to finish off what was left in it. He catches her eyes and can't hide his amusement towards her. There was something about this broad, and he couldn't put his finger on it. She was wild, he knew it.

"What about you," Lana turns to Juice and gives him a soft pout. "Please..."

"oh, don't do that," Tig bursts into laughter, he smacks Juice on the back of the head and finishes his beer. "We gotta hit the road... we'll be there. I will." he stares over at Lana and puts down a wad of cash. "See ya later darling'" Rather than fight the sizable tip he just left her, Lana pocketed it. Reimbursement for all the free drinks he normally got when the guys came down to the bar. She waves goodbye and then turns towards the bar. The drunk guy must have left without her noticing, which was all the reassurance she needed as far as closing the bar went.

* * *

The guys at Teller Morrow had started to shut everything down and one by one they began to leave for home. The main crew at Samcro had become it's only occupants for about an hour or so until a black SUV pulled into the parking lot. "Who's this," Opie asked standing tall next to Clay. He assumed, as he was sure everyone else did, that it was some ATF bullshit. Piney had now stood up and sent Sac inside the clubhouse to get the rest of the guys. "Can I help you?" Opie called out, unsure. It was hard to make out who was inside the car because the windows were tinted so dark. He swallowed hard, nervous as both front doors opened and one by one; and three businessmen in suits came walking out. "Shop's closed."

Neither said a word as they approached but Clay recognized the older of the two right away. "Nobody good," Clay whispered walking up towards the men with nothing but amusement spread across his face. "Hell freeze over or something?" with an extended hand, he looked back and gave Opie a reassuring look. "Had more hair even. Lincoln."

"It's nice to see some things never change here in Charming," the older gentleman spoke calmly as his attention went from Clay and Opie, and then to the men now coming outside. "Still trying to turn a profit by faking an honest living, I see. For some reason, I'd thought this place would be long gone by now." The man scoffed at Clay and then looked at the rest of the men standing behind him. "Gonna have your gang beat me up? That your style these days, Clay?"

"More yours than anything," Clay reminded. "What are you doing here Senator Montgomery? Wasn't planning on any social visits?"

"You're a long way from Oregon," Piney chimed in, annoyed by all of this. He didn't give two shits to what happened to Clay. They could shoot him in the face and he'd only feel a little sad about it. His only concern was for Lana and her safety. He reached for his cell and dialed her. Jax stood by Piney and tried his best to process everything that was happening. Clearly someone Clay knew. Clearly Lana's father. Clearly the senator of Oregon. Clearly an asshole. Piney, agitated by the mere presence of Lincoln, excused himself and went to find Lana.

"Where's my daughter Clay," He began to look around the men, and when he only saw Gemma standing behind them - he targeted Clay once more. "You _already_ get her killed too?"

With an amused shrug, Clay shakes his head and plays dumb. "Don't know what you're talking about, Can you describe her for me?" The senator wasn't amused by his old foe's delivery and rather than play along, he moved to Gemma.

"Gemma, it's been too long," he walked over and took her hand in his and brought his lips down to place a kiss among them. "Glad to see time has been kind to you." The history between Lincoln and Gemma was a cordial one, until the end. She really tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, just like she does with Hale now. The Montgomery women, clearly have a type - not a good one, but clearly a type. Gemma mused for a second at all of this. Her surprise was a little more genuine than Clay's, like with Lana teh first day she'd seen her - this was a ghost of different sorts.

"Lincoln," She pulled her hands back uncomfortable before placing her hand on her hip. "What are you doing here?" No sooner did the words escape her lips did she see Lana's car pull up. Her eyes went wide and before she had time to react, Lana got out of her car and walked over. Lana then saw who was visiting Teller Morrow. The sight of her father struck a fear deep inside of her and all she could think was, ' _I have to get out of here_.' She quickly backtracked to her car and started the engine as fast as possible; before pealing out of the driveway as she headed towards her home in a panic. Unfortunately, her father and his security had noticed the car pealing out behind them and Lincoln motioned for him to follow the car. "Come inside," Gemma demanded, "We'll get you a drink. Catch up."

"I think I'll take that drink now." Lincoln walked past the guys and finally by Clay who turned towards Tig and motioned towards the driveway. Tig nodded his head and gave a pat on his shoulder before grabbing Juice and Opie to ride towards Lana's house.

* * *

When Lana pulled into her driveway she reached for her gun in her purse. She promised Hale she'd never use it. She swore to Gemma she'd never have use for it, but desperate times. Looking out through the rear view mirror; she let out a sigh when she didn't even see lights close by. Slowly getting out of her car, she walked up to her porch and looked behind her when she'd heard something in the bushes. Paranoia was getting the best of her, and she wanted to get inside her home where it was safe, fast. She locked the door and stood behind it. Brushing back the long black strands of hair that had fallen into her face; Lana finally had a second to think. "What is he doing here?"

"Probably looking to take back that quarter million dollars you stole." An unrecognizable voice had answered her question and Lana was quick to pull her gun and face it towards the darkness. The light then switched on, and Lana quickly recognized him as one of her fathers' hired help; more importantly, her ex fiance. "You're a hard woman to track down."

"He stole that money from my mother," Lana spat back, her tone cold and her gun still pointed at him. "How'd you get in here?" The man, whom Lana knew as Wilson reminded her a lot of Weston. Always the person taking the orders, never the one giving them. Always the one with blood on his hands, never the one benefiting from the spoils of war. Her eyes swelled with tears and she reiterated her question. The only difference was the past the both of them shared. Memories flooded her mind, and it kept her trembling hand at bay, "I asked you how you got into my home."

He stood up and noted how much Lana's hands were shaking, "Put the gun down Lana." He took a step towards her and his eyes went wide when Lana removed the safety on it. His facial features were darker; but, the devilish expression they made were exactly how she remembered him. "Jesus Christ! You're not going to shoot me!" He yelled at her, before reaching for the gun and ripping it out of her hands. Rather than turn it on her, like she assumed he'd do - he put it down on the coffee table. "See," he whispered, "I'm not here to hurt you."

"I don't believe you," Lana whispered backing away from him.

"Why," He questioned, "Because you stole from me?" He took a step towards her, and she took a step back. "Because you accused me of beating you, and had your brother fire me?" Silence filled the room, and Lana took a step back again, this time her back hit the stairwell. "Come on Lan, if I beat you why didn't you stay to let this all go to trial?"

"Because I _wanted_ to get away." Lana pleaded, the emotional bruises clearly there. "Because my father didn't believe me, and Landon didn't believe me. I didn't get you fired, **you** asshole." She could feel her heart pounding, and as bizarre as it sounded in her head, all she wanted was someone like Clay around. Someone she knew would protect her and not have remorse about it later.

"Lan, this is us." He moved towards her and reached out taking a strand of her hair in his. "You grew your hair out," He smiled, before looking down at her. "You left and I had no way of finding you. Your dad..."

"Don't," Lana demanded, her lip curled with anger. "That was the whole point you psychopath!"

"Well now that's hurtful." His tone had changed from feigned compassion to insult. "Your old man gave me a chance, your pussy brother fired me and your dad gave me a chance at life again."

"Get out of my house." Her calm demeanor had come as a surprise. One that quickly faded when he moved towards her again, this time grabbing a hold of her and forcing her into his grip. "GET OFF OF ME!" She screamed through gritted teeth. She fought his grasp, but he proved to be too strong for her; just like he's always been.

"You owe me Lan."

* * *

Back at the clubhouse; Clay and Gemma continued to make small talk with the infamous senator. Clay still hadn't heard back from Tig, and while he'd never admit it out loud; especially to Gemma. Still, he was worried about Lana. Who knew what kind of crazy shit this guy did to her growing up. All he had on him was what Juice found out, which could just be smoke and mirrors on Lana's part.

"I don't think you've met my son," Lincoln motioned towards his son who'd been making small talk with Sac about their military backgrounds. Gemma's heart sank in her chest. He, like Lana had an uncanny resemblance to their mother. Unfortunately for him, he also had a lot of qualities from his father. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. His auburn hair was definitely a gift from his father, but everything else… everything else had been Gemma's best friend. Everything else had been Nora.

Seeing Lincoln, after all these years – was painful in a way. A truth, Gemma didn't want to admit. It was obvious that Lana wasn't his daughter. She watched as Lincoln and Clay spoke to one another before giving her own son a look. She met Jax's eyes and offered a slight expression of disapproval. "Excuse me, I'm going to make a pot of coffee."

"Here, let me help you," Landon smiled. He didn't take no for an answer, and before Gemma could really fight it, he was following her towards her office in the garage. Landon, confused looked around. "The coffee pot in the clubhouse, not work?"

"I needed a smoke," Gemma shrugged. "Your dad talks about you like you're some saint." She gave him a look and arched a brow, "What's your dad want with Lana?"

"My father brags about me too much," Landon noted before pulling out a pack of his own cigarettes. He offers Gemma one, and genuinely smiles a bit when she takes it from him. "I don't care if he finds her or not, but if you're harboring her here – there could be repercussions."

Gemma actually burst into laughter at that one, "You clearly don't know Hale." He didn't, but hearing Gemma's laughter actually put him at ease for the few minutes he had away from his father. "Why hasn't she mentioned you?" Landon stares over at Gemma and his face goes flaccid.

"I… wasn't very nice to her before she left." Guilt spread across his face and he stares down at his feet; his hands uncomfortably digging in his pockets.

"What happened?"

Landon then stared up at Gemma and shook his head, "Guy she was seeing, my best officer at the station, beat her up. Real bad, I called her a liar. I didn't believe my own sister, like some piece of shit she thinks I am." Gemma listened carefully to everything he had to say, and made note of everything Lana had neglected to tell her. "She stole over a hundred thousand dollars' worth of drugs from the station. Planted half of it on him, he lost his job, and nobody's seen her since. I'm assuming she sold it and paid her way here with the money."

"We tell you where she is..." Gemma started, "What happens to her then?"

"Ma'am, there's no telling what my father will do if she continues to avoid us." _There_ he was, Gemma thought. Lincoln's son. Little shit. "Fact of the situation is, she stole a lot of money. She stole from a police station. She falsely accused a good police officer of hurting her."

"You said you didn't believe her," Gemma questioned. "Why?"

"Because nobody wants to believe their parents are bad. That they are against the law." Landon straightened his posture and swallowed hard when Gemma's eyes met his. "Lana discovered some things and I just wanted to protect my dad. Is that so bad?"

* * *

The sound of arguing brought Gemma and Landon back inside of the clubhouse. Gemma watched as Jax and Sac held Clay back from whatever altercation had erupted while she was outside. Landon, forgetting that he wasn't in his jurisdiction anymore threatened to arrest Clay. "Your badge don't mean shit to me here, so why you here?" Jax shot Clay a look and then motioned towards the door at Opie and Tig who had walked through again. There was no sign of Lana with them, or that they'd found her, even.

"I'm here on business," Lincoln grimaced while finally admitting what brought him to Charming; his eyes darting to the two men who just walked through the door "Zobelle," Instantaneously, at the mention of Zobelle; Jax looked towards the senator wide eyed. Every red flag in his head going off at once. Opie being the voice of reason reminded both Jax and Clay that this was a senator and a cop. Once Clay had calmed down; both Lincoln and his son saw themselves out.

"If he ever steps foot in this clubhouse again," Clay said to Jax, watching them leave. "Kill him." Horrified, Gemma stood there and finally addressed Tig and Juice.

"Lana?"

"Don't know," Opie shook his head looking out the door to make sure they were really gone. "We followed the car, but he didn't go to her house; he went to Weston's place in Oakland." He gives Clay and Jax both a look. "Shit's going down and it don't look good for us. They were unloading something from the trunk, black crates. Mayan symbol on the side of it."

Tig grabbed a beer from behind the bar and leaned over it towards Clay, "Irish were meeting with Zobelle. We saw both the Irish and The Mayans riding up. We need to end this shit, now."

"Meeting in fifteen minutes," Clay demanded tossing his phone at Sac. "Get everyone here." Gemma intently listened before the guys had secluded themselves in the clubhouse, her attention now turning towards her discussion earlier with Landon, and now his missing sister. Clay then walked out and went straight for Gemma, "I'm going to see if she's okay." He and his wife exchanged a look, his was worry mixed with anger. Hers, equally matched, but for very different reasons.

* * *

A scuffle had resulted in Lana's attempt to break free from her once lovers arms; one that resulted in her breaking one of her statues in her home. The more Lana fought him, the more aggressive he got towards her. "You always do this!" He screamed down at her, she fought him the entire time, but he managed to pin her to the ground. "You always make me go to this dark place." The way he accused Lana had actually made her sick to her stomach. She reached her arms up and dug her nails into his cheeks and refused to let go; out of frustration, he punched her hard in the face.

Once had led to a second time, and Lana had lost consciousness for a few minutes and when she came to, she felt him pulling roughly on her pants in a fast ditch effort to remove them. The sound of the fabric ripping was one that had haunted her. She stirred, and did her best to kick him away from her, but every time she made contact, he hit her again. And again. In her side, against her kidneys, across her arms.

Each time worse than before. Crying out in pain, she held her ribs and tried to crawl away from him. "You framed me you stupid bitch, after all I did for you!" She didn't answer. "You think it was easy telling him I'd kill you if he kept quiet about what I did?" He went to grab her again, and she kicked him and backed right into her coffee table. "I lost my badge for you, you dumb cunt," he screamed at her and lunged towards her again.

"I lost everything, you don't get to leave when I lost everything because of you!" This time he didn't make it far. Just as he lunged at her - she grabbed the gun and shot it, except her bullet wasn't the one that came as a surprise. She screamed as he fell over and watched as his blood ran all over her and she curled up in the corner in horror and pain.

"You okay," The voice called out, and moved towards Lana. She wept in the corner and held her side in pain. Watching as Clay checked to make sure this guy was dead. He then leaned down and what was left of his fatherly instinct had told him to pull her up into his arms and comfort her as best as he could. Clay moved the hair from her face and looked her over. "Lana..."

"Clay," Lana whispered holding her hand against her stomach.

He looked down and saw she'd been shot. "Shit." He must have missed that sick bastard and had gotten her instead. His fucking arthritis. He moved quickly to call for an ambulance, her phone had been knocked off the table somewhere. Instinct told him to get rid of the body; but, he chose to leave it there and tend to Lana instead. He'd explain to Unser what had happened, hell, even Hale wouldn't crucify him for this. He held the unconscious Lana and waited to call the guys until after she'd been taken to the hospital. When the EMT had asked who Clay was to Lana he hesitated before answering, "Her father."


	13. Chapter 13 - Service

Note: Hey everyone! Such a long delay. Summer in a tourist town is thee worst! Thanks for all the messages, reviews, and favorites and messages of concern lately. There may be a rewrite in process. I'll let you guys know when that happens. I appreciate all of you. Enjoy!

* * *

Weeks had passed since being shot; and, Lana was finally being released from the hospital. Tara had offered to give the raven haired woman a ride home and to her surprise – Lana accepted. They weren't _exactly_ close friends. Despite Tara being the doctor on hand when Lana was admitted; they remained wary of each other during the beginning of her stay. By the time Lana was due to be released – both women had learned to appreciate the other. It was kind of nice to have another woman appreciate the struggle of being on the outside of the club – even if you're connected on the inside. Tara couldn't help but feel intrigued by the things Lana had told her. What she'd heard Clay say after being shot – whether or not it was true? That kind of news could change the club, in more ways than one. She promised she wouldn't tell anybody else, but it was starting to become real difficult not to tell Jax. Lana was someone that could change the club in a big way.

Lana on the other hand had a different outlook on everything she'd endured during the past few weeks. Piney was the only one that came to visit her while she was recovering in the hospital. He said it was Hale's doing and that there'd been a huge fight between Hale and Jax. The usual good guy versus the bad guys – but the truth of it was – not even Gemma had come to see her. She still wasn't sure if she was delirious from the gunshot wound or if she'd heard Clay tell the paramedics that he was her father was real or not. Hale had assured her that her father, the Senator, was long gone and there was no sign of Weston or Zobelle in Charming since he'd left. Both Tara and Lana knew, however, that Weston and Zobelle being MIA was either a club move, or going to be one. Hale had made good on his promise to never let the club, _or anyone_ harm her. As much as Lana appreciated having him care so much about her - she welcomed most breaks she received.

While the two women made small talk, Agent Stahl, uninvited - entered Lana's room. Her presence made both women jump on the defensive and neither was particularly happy to see her. As it was, Lana still was apprehensive about her being anywhere near her; due to her past with Hale. _You never really knew what you'd do in a situation until you're in it_. Both women exchanged a look before Tara excused herself. Once she made it outside of the room, she called Jax. Lana on the other hand, sat straight up on the edge of her bed. "I'm guessing this isn't you stopping out of the kindness of your heart to tell me you're sorry I was shot, is it? You're a little late. I've been here for a month." Lana stared over at the woman and shook her head. "I'm going home."

"No," Stahl smirked before pulling out the manila folder that was hidden away under her arm. "I actually came into some information. Recently actually." Lana could tell by the tone in Stahl's voice that she was being vindictive about something. "Was curious as to whether you'd help me out." Lana gave a look and took the papers from her to look over. Her mouth tightened shut and she shook her head at what they said before handing them back. Agent Stahl smirked again before stuffing the papers back into the folder. "I'm guessing by your reaction, you already knew. You see, I was curious why you were shot... and then I looked into your file. Impressive."

"My file?"

"Yeah. All of it. Like I said though... impressive."

"Sorry," the raven haired woman lied. "I'm just not in the mood to buy into your bullshit today."

"Hmm," Stahl mused. "Clay know?" Lana didn't say a word about her parentage. She didn't know. What she wanted to believe, and what the truth was was a fine line. She caught Tara staring through the small window on the door. "Okay, but I'm guessing Gemma doesn't. This is exactly something you use to take down the queen though, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't want to take Gemma down." Lana admitted, right away realizing her mistake. The look on Stahl's face saying more than her mouth ever could. There were no more words exchanged between the two women and once Stahl showed herself out; with the envelope now laying on Lana's bed.

* * *

Two hours. It took two hours that Lana had arrived home until she had to find Clay. Lana waited until she was sure most of the club would be cleared out. She let herself in and gave a hard knock on the chapel door when she saw there was nobody sitting at the bar. Sitting inside the chapel, Clay grabbed his gun and walked slowly towards the door to open it. Both he and Lana stared at each other for a second before she spoke. "Sorry," she whispered, "I know it's late."

"Come on," he motioned before putting his gun back on the table and waiting until she sat down before he shut the door behind her. Again, neither said a word to the other and awkward silence filled the air. He noted that she sat where Jax normally would, and smirked a little. His VP. Didn't feel that way lately. Even with what happened with Gemma. Going after Zobelle. Lana stared at him for a second and when she thought she was ready to talk, she stopped herself and sat in silence a little while longer.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she finally mustered up enough courage to start the conversation. "For calling an ambulance. Tara said I lost a lot of blood, and... had I been shot a little more to the right and..." Lana sat up and drummed her fingers on the table. Nerves getting the best of her. "I know you shot me."

Clay stared up at her when she spoke, but it wasn't until she said out loud that he was the one who shot her that he got a little defensive. It was in his nature, he couldn't help it. "What do you want?" Lana looked confused, and Clay rolled his eyes. "To keep quiet about it. What do you want?"

"I..." Lana shook her head and couldn't hide her embarrassment and the level of insult she started to feel. "I didn't... I don't **want** anything. He would have killed me, so thank you. Really, and if there's anything I can do to help you guys..."

" _Oh_ ," surprised, Clay swallowed hard and nodded his head. "We uh... we're going after Zobelle." Lana nodded her head. "If your old man is there... how do you want to handle it?" The Senator was a touchy subject. Even when he and Jax discussed it a week or so ago. Neither wanted to do anything about Lincoln Montgomery until Lana knew about it. Lucky for him - he was smart enough to stay away. Still, Clay owed it to her to ask first. The sentiment surprised Lana, she didn't think she was anybody important. Especially when it came to matters in the club. She couldn't help but think about her arrival in Charming; the fascination with a life her mother once had. She thought about how much Hale tried to keep her away from the club. How much she fought to be accepted. Being shot. _Who_ shot her. What was said briefly before she fell unconscious.

"Kill them." She said coldly before pushing her seat out and standing up from it. Surprised, again by her reaction; Clay sat there and nodded his head. Lana pushed her black hair off her shoulders and Clay's heart lumped in his throat. He'd been avoiding her because she looked so much like her mother; but there she was. Every single mannerism and feature. "Can I ask you something?"

"...Yeah?" Clay asked standing from his chair. Lana stared him in the eyes and then heard the door open. She could tell by the voices that it was some of the guys, and the time she had left was wearing thin.

"Does Gemma know?" Clay's facial expressions softened and Lana nodded her head knowing the answer. _She_ didn't. Based on how she'd been treated and how much of her place she had to earn - she assumed nobody else knew either. "When I'm ready to talk about her..."

"Yeah." Clay answered before showing her out, he caught Jax at the bar staring towards them and motioned for him and the rest of the guys to come into the chapel.

Jax stayed behind when the guys went in and reached over to pull Lana into a hug. "You doing alright? Tara said Stahl was harassing you today at the hospital." Lana smiled against at the embrace and let out a sigh at the mention of Stahl before pulling away. "My mom's making dinner tonight. You should come."

"Yeah..." Lana smiled before giving a soft wave and leaving them to do what they do best.

* * *

Walking into the police department Jax made a face when he saw Lana there. Both as confused as the other; mostly because, she didn't know he was still running things by Hale. She stood up from her desk and walked over to greet him. "Jax, hey... what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same thing," He looked around for prying eyes and then pulled her into an office and shut the door behind them. "What are you doing here? Everything okay?" Lana stared up at him and was taken aback by how genuine he seemed with her. She wasn't used to this. Definitely didn't expect it after she purposely avoided dinner at Gemma's the night before. "How's your..." he tapped her stomach a bit over her wound.

"I'm fine," her expression was still curious, and it was more in her nature to ask, than not. However, she knew she wouldn't get much from Jax without giving a little first. "I'm going out of town with Hale, romantic getaway, or whatever." Looking away embarrassed by it, Jax couldn't help but smile. It was smart - her staying away from the guys in the club. "I was..."

"What?"

"She looked up at him, defensive. "I was seeing where he was. My... the Senator. I was told he left Charming, but... I know that's a life."

Nodding his head, Jax could tell she knew a lot more about this man and how he worked than she originally let on. "You think he could still be here?" She didn't think, she knew. Lana only nodded her head and then moved to the computer in the room and pulled up her google search.

"He's in Stockton. Some campaign bullshit."

"That why you're going away with Hale?" Jax watched her entire demeanor change and felt a little sorry for her. The club should have reached out when she'd been shot. "You don't think we can keep you safe..." Lana looked up at him and let out a sigh.

"My safety is _not_ your responsibility." Both of them smiled and he closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her and held her there for a few seconds.

"Just don't... go running away with Hale and forgetting about us okay darlin'" Lana playfully rolled her eyes and moved away from him when Hale opened the door. "We need to talk." Jax said motioning for Hale to close the door behind him. Lana went to leave, but Jax grabbed her hand and shook his head. "No, you stay here. You need to hear this too."

"What... did I miss?" Hale looked over to a now confused Lana and then to Jax.

"Opie, got wind of what happened with Donna. He's putting it on Stahl." Jax sighed heavily before looking at Lana. He'd catch hell for sharing this with her - before Tara. Lana kept his gaze and just tried to process the information as it came.

"Oh shit," Hale worriedly responded. "I just saw Opie's truck on the side of the street, he's probably tailing her."

"I gotta stop him."

"Try to stall him, and I'll give her a heads up. Put an ATF out on Ope."

"Any idea where she is?"

"Out in Stockton. She's got a buyer willing to give up the IRA." Hale looked over at Lana who was clearly uneasy about all of this. When Jax took the information and left, he walked over to her and touched his forehead to his. "I'm sorry baby. We're going to have to rain check that trip."

Lana, understandably upset knew his priorities would always be a cops. She smiled a little and nodded her head. As much as she hated Stahl, she wasn't sure she deserved to die at the hands of Opie. Not yet, anyway. Moving her hair off her shoulders she leaned in for a kiss and gave a soft pat on his chest before walking towards the door. She turns back and smiles at him. "Hey David..."

Looking up, he smiled at her. "Yeah?"

"I love you too." Both Lana and Hale stared at each other for a second and the look on his face said a lot more than his words ever could. She smiled again, before shutting the door behind her. Lana had never responded back to him when he's said it in the past, this was... this was something new for him. For _her._ For **them**.


	14. Chapter 14 - Na Triobloidi

**Authors Note** : Last Chapter before our rewrite starts! If you're following along with us with the series we are Season 2 finale (Ep: 2:13) Immediately following this chapter is a note from me, your author.

* * *

Walking over to Hale, Lana pressed her lips firmly against his before letting out a sigh. The family was going on lock down as Jax and Clay were preparing the club to go after The League. While Lana was surprised to receive the call from Gemma earlier that morning; she didn't hesitate when the second call came through from Jax. There was a chance her father would be killed today. Jax didn't want her anywhere near that. It remained hard to get lost in her thoughts when Hale pulled her closer to him.

"You going to tell me why Samcro is going into this.. lock.. down?" Lana smiled up at him and shook her head. She didn't doubt that he already knew that answer. "Haven't _they_ hurt you enough?" Hale's words were cold, and they actually made Lana cringe a little. She shook her head and let out a defeated sigh.

"You really want me to answer that?" He didn't, and she knew he didn't.

"No." Hale stared down at her and smiled. No matter what, he was a cop. He was a _good_ cop. Unser had played into Clay's games for years; he wasn't going to do the same with Jax. He wasn't going to turn a blind eye to her. "Marry me."

"Whaa," Lana couldn't even get the words out before he began to kneel down in front of her. She could have put all her money in on Hale and it still wouldn't have made a difference in their lives. There wasn't a future for **them**. People didn't stay in her life for a reason. Every doubt she could possibly fathom came to mind and she very sadly stood there without saying a single word. The same thing was happening in Hale's mind. The constant battle to keep her safe. The constant battle of keeping her away from Samcro. To show her how she's supposed to be loved. To have someone there that wants her. He may not be very good at it, but he'd learn to be that guy. They could learn to be that for each other.

Her doe-eyed expression matched his and he _knew_. "Marry me." He repeated his sentiment, but instead of answering - he watched as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Lana... marry me." She gave him a look and tried her hardest to gather the courage to say what she needed to say. She was having an anxiety attack, or dying. Either way - every thought passed through her mind miles a minute. She couldn't process any of it.

"Juice is waiting for me outside," When she finally spoke - her answer not among the words he was looking for - Hale shoved her bag down off the bed.

"Then let him wait." Hale had never really been angry with her, but this... this was something else. He was livid beyond words. "Did you hear what I asked you! I asked you to marry me. Lana... I won't ask you again." Her eyes met his and while hers filled with tears, his remained hauntingly painful to stare at. She shook her head.

"I have to go." Lana went to grab her bag and saw Juice standing there in the doorway. She had tears in her eyes, and regret in her heart. Reaching up for her arm, Hale pulled her softly to him. "David I..."

"If you walk out that door..." His voice cracked and he didn't even acknowledge Juice clearing his throat - this was **them**. This was only about them. "If you walk out of that door... we're done." Lana felt a tear fall down her cheek and she wiped it quickly. She moved her hand to his cheek and gave a soft rub against it before turning to walk out of the door with Juice.

* * *

Neither Juice nor Lana said a word to each other on the ride over to the Clubhouse. When Juice opened his mouth to talk, or ask to talk rather - she dismissed him with a single finger and walked inside and headed straight for the bar. Her eyes were red from crying on the ride over; so, she pushed her bangs in her face to cover it. She looked around and exchanged 'hello's' and 'how are you's' with other "family" members of the club. Some of the girls she'd recognized from several of Gemma's dinners. Still, given everything that had just happened with Hale; this was where she needed to be. What had happened with Hale would eventually be washed over with what was being set in motion today. Juice nudged her a bit and handed her a beer. "It helps."

"You ain't kidding" Lana whispered before taking the bottle from him and chasing her shot of whiskey with it. All she could see was Hale's face, and it made her sick. Lana pulled out her mothers journal and opened up where she left off earlier in the day. Her words were the only thing that made any sense to her when she was in the hospital - even moreso now. " _Humans are creatures of habit. They stay on a familiar path because most are afraid of what could happen if change is involved. I've always been somewhere teetering in the middle. My life at home and my life at the club are constantly tearing me in two. I love Lincoln - but he's forcing me to leave my family behind. He thinks I'm weak. That I'm afraid of everything. I'm not afraid, I'm fearful. I'm fearful that marriage will change me. Gemma says it won't. I'm fearful that marriage will change him. Still, I can't wrap my finger around the impending doom I've been feeling."_

There's a loud whistle for quiet in the room and Lana turns in her stool at Tig and then at Clay and Gemma while they walk to the front of the clubhouse. "Everybody! Listen up!"

"ahem. I wanna welcome you all to Club Reaper. I'm glad you made your reservations early, because as you can see we're booked to capacity," Clay joked before standing straight and looked to every single individual in the room. Family. "You're here because you're family. And because Samcro takes care of its own. Next couple of days this club has some business to handle that could put its members and... people connected to us in unfriendly situations." Lana moved off of her bar stool and tried her best to get closer until she was in clear sight of Clay. "Now chances are, nothing's going to happen but uh..." He turns to look at Gemma next to him and then stares directly at Lana. "People have already been hurt on my watch and that ain't ever gonna happen again."

"Nobody leaves. Nobody comes in without an escort. You got a safety concern - you talk to Piney. You got a comfort concern you talk to my queen. Under this roof you'll all be safe." When everybody hoots and hollers, Lana can't help but smile before excusing herself to go say hello to Lyla and Opie. She wasn't used to this. All of this family sticking together stuff. Still, she did her best to make it work.

* * *

The guys had left and Gemma had taken her spot at the bar to drink her coffee and find a peace of mind. This was going to be a long couple of days; the club needed her to be at the top of her game. This club needed her to be their queen. Having already known that the guys were going to go after Zobelle - she gave as little information as possible to anybody that asked. She had a knack for telling people very little; and making them seem like they know a lot. Lana spotted the matriarch sitting by herself and sat down next to her. "Hey."

Surprised, Gemma gave a look and replied with the same "Hey." It wasn't that she didn't think Lana would come when she called; she just didn't think she'd stay. Offering her coffee cup up to one of the women pouring it, Gemma arched a brow at Lana as she declined. "Let them do it. You've earned it." Confused Lana shook her head ready to dispute that fact, but Gemma beats her to it. "You helped the club in a big way; we really owe ya one." Lana was annoyed now - more than before. She was almost willing to bet it had a lot to do with the Whiskey.

"Why didn't you come to the hospital?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I was shot," Leaning in she gives a stern look. "By Clay. You didn't even call." All the raven haired woman could think right now was how much of a hypocrite this whole situation was. Gemma. The Club. She was upset, rightfully so. Gemma licked her lips and turned in her bar stool to face Lana. Then glancing up at Tara who joins them.

"Clay said he made that right by you."

"He did."

"So what's the problem?" Gemma asked, almost smirking. Lana really needed to learn to pick her battles.

"My.. _problem_? Are you... fucking kidding me?" Her eyes swelled again and she could feel her face getting hot. Tara gave a comforting hand to her shoulder and Lana quickly brushed it off. "I just..." Gemma's face softened when she heard the crack in Lana's voice and she pulled her close to her chest comforting her.

"I was so mad at Clay." Gemma confessed. Tara watched the interaction closely. Having already known what Lana thought she heard - and the reality that it could be true made Gemma dangerous. Especially if she knew the truth. Gemma rubbed Lana's back and was actually shocked that she was sobbing in her arms. It felt like dejavu for the older woman and she swallowed hard. "I wanted to see you darlin' but every time I got outside of your room..."

Lana who was painfully upset for numerous reasons started to cry even harder. Gemma continued to do her best at comforting her, before she made a very curious statement. "I kept picturing Jackson... and what it would feel like if it were him. You're like a daughter to me. Your mother led you to us... some kind of divine intervention. You needed this club at this point in your life. God, or whatever you want to believe in. Your purpose was to find us, and we haven't stopped letting you down."

"I know you're mad. Use that anger. Every bit of it. Samcro is not the enemy. It's the glue. The one thing that will always be there to pull you through the ugly shit. I'm sorry. Whatever this is..." Gemma motioned to the tears still running down her cheeks. Giving a soft wipe she lets out a sigh. "It's time to confront the demons babe."

Tara arched a brow at Gemma and leaned back in her seat. If there was one thing she could appreciate, it was that Gemma - as stuck in her ways as she was - could still surprise the shit out of her. Lana pulled away and used the fabric of her shirt to wipe her eyes. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tried her best to get back to being herself. As much as the situation would allow anyway. She looked at Tara and then at Gemma before clearing her throat.

"I'm going to marry Hale."

* * *

After explaining to the women about her situation with Hale that had transpired earlier in the morning - Lana did her best to convince Piney that she _had_ to get out of the clubhouse. He didn't give a shit who was proposing to her, it was dangerous for her to be anywhere outside of that clubhouse. Lana being there; knowing the truth, it was bad news. It felt like they were repeating history here. Gemma came up from behind and gave a pat on Piney's back. "You okay old man?"

He watched Lana interact with the club's family members and how they reacted to her. Maybe he'd had too much whiskey himself - but that wasn't Lana he saw. It never was. It was her mother's ghost. Gemma saw it too. Felt it just as much, if not deeper in the deepest part of her being. She kept getting flashes of her best friend telling her she was marrying a cop. It was like a stab to the heart. Hearing Lana express her feelings towards Hale was another stab to the back. _Make people love you and then you leave them_. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.

"Strange isn't it?" Piney whispered having noticed Gemma staring at Lana as well.

"What are you getting at old man?" folding her arms across her chest, Gemma indulged the crazy old man.

"Loving her, even after what you did." Piney wasn't talking about Lana but the unease that Gemma expressed told him she understood exactly what he meant by it. He continued to watch Lana for a few minutes before finally giving in and letting her leave.

* * *

Hours had passed and Lana found herself several times walking through Hale's home. She occasionally would stare out of the window to let one of the guys Piney made her take know she was okay in there.

Hale's home felt empty and cold. She'd only been proposed to once before, another cop. Her ex. The difference between the two of them was - Hale had never given her a reason to doubt him. He wasn't beating the shit out of her every chance he got. He'd never disappointed her. He was kind. He was unflinchingly good, and sometimes it made her sick. Hale saw her for exactly who she was. Every truth. Every lie. He knew it all. She didn't have any real plan upon coming to his home. She knew he wouldn't be there because of what Samcro had planned on doing tonight. He didn't answer any of her calls throughout the day, which led to her coming over. Still this was... this was what she wanted. When his front door opened, Lana stood quickly and the both of them stared for a moment. He looked lost, and hurt.

"What..." Hale started to speak but Lana quickly cut him off.

"I love you."

"Lana..." Confused, Hale put his gun and badge on the coffee table beside him. He was stuck; frozen in place - especially when she moved towards him and placed her hand against the skin on his arm. He swallowed hard and stood his ground. She couldn't just come in here and think everything was going to be okay. "What do you want?"

Lana's phone started to ring and she set it down next to her. It was probably Gemma asking her to come back, or what ever 'emergency' Samcro felt she needed to be a part of. She made perhaps the biggest statement of their lives by ignoring the call. She was finally putting him first. She stood firm and straightened her posture before speaking.

"You should go," Hale whispered before moving out of the way so she could find the door quicker. "The **club** needs you." His words stung a bit and she could hear his annoyance in the tone he spoke.

"Ask me again," Lana took a step towards him and kept her eyes on him. "Ask. Me. Again."Hale looked up at her and cleared his throat, and the longer he took the closer she got to him. She was finally standing there in front of him and when he opened his mouth to speak - she interrupted him. "David... marry me." He didn't speak, and she could no longer find the words she needed to in order to articulate what she meant. Not that there was a way to say it any clearer. Just as her lips were grazing softly against hers - he pulled back some.

"No," he whispered, but the words echoed so much in her head that it felt like a scream.

"Whaaat?"The confusion was clear and she almost didn't believe he was acting so upset about this morning when she walked out on him. "David.."

"Clay's your father," He started and his eyes swelled with tears. Lana stared at him in disbelief. He knew; he knew all this time. While the news was still semi-fresh for her - she had to wonder how long he's known and if he was ever going to tell her that **_he_** knew. "And... I can't keep you away from Samcro when every single thing that's happened to you since you arrived in Charming is pushing you to them."

"You knew," Lana whispered. she wasn't upset about him knowing, just curious.

"So did you." Hale took her hands and cupped his tightly over them. "You had all the pieces right there - you just didn't know how to piece them together."

"Stahl tell you?"

"Unser."

"Unser knows!?" _Gemma knows_. After saying it to herself it really sunk in. Gemma knows. Lana stared at him and nodded her head. "Lincoln Montgomery is my father." Hale smiled and let go of her hands.

"You were shot by Clay Morrow." Hale stated, since he was telling the truth - he may have started to be honest. "I only know that because he came every day to see you in the hospital. First it'd be Gemma and the guys - then him alone once visiting hours were over. It's why I put that protection order against him and the club." Lana stared at him wide eyed. She screamed at Gemma about all of this today. "You may not be there yet, but they are. You're their family... and it drives me insane having to compete with that."

"It's not a competition."

"I love you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me in this god awful town. The history's already been written - you were always meant to come here. You were looking for a family..."

"You're my family." She couldn't hide how upset she was and when the tears started to fall - Lana quickly wiped them away. "Why are you saying all of this? Why now?" When Lana's phone starts ringing again, she watches as Hale moves to pick it up. He flips it open - noting that it's one of theirs and he presses his fingers against the call button and hands it over to her. Taking it from him - she holds it against her ear and doesn't say a word. It _was_ Tara - and she needed her to come to Jax's. Seconds later Hale's phone started ringing - it was the station. Half Sac had been stabbed to death and Jax's son Abel had been taken. Neither responding to their phone calls.

"... because every scenario I picture in my mind ends in a call like that."


	15. Chapter 15 - SO

Hale was right. Lana had gotten Tara's phone call about Abel being taken and Half Sac being killed and didn't hesitate to leave Hale and come to Jax's. The disappointment had loomed in her mind every minute after. There was no place for him in the life she was chasing - the life her mother once lived in Charming. Still, she had to try, and after every phone call that ended with him sending her to voicemail - she tried again. "Look, I don't know what happens, or how this plays out. I love you... I uhm," Lana sighs into the phone and looks at Tara across the room making coffee. She can't help but sigh again at the blood stain on the kitchen floor. "I just love you okay? We're not meant to be together - but maybe that's why this works. I'm better with you. I just wanted you to know that." She sets her phone down on the table and brings her arms across her chest; in an attempt to comfort herself.

"That was sweet," Tara spoke softly, still shaken up about all that happened. Jax blames her - or she thinks he blames her. Lana returned the gesture and smiled before helping herself to the cabinet for a coffee mug. "David," Tara spoke again. "You really love him don't you?"

"I thought I could compromise and find a balance but... it's hard." Lana confessed before joining the woman at the table. "How do you do that? You have to have some moral code or some shit working at the hospital. I mean, you save lives... and all of this.." The raven haired woman motioned to the stain on the floor and her eyes swell with tears.

Tara swallows hard and lets out a long exasperated sigh. How _did_ she do it? "You have to trust the people you're around."

"Trust them not to get you killed?" Lana managed to chuckle at her own statement and looked over at Tara. She was so much better at this than her. "Clay shot me."

" _Well_.." This brought laughter from both of them before a knock at the door silenced them. It was the guys coming to check on Jax. Lana watched them enter the nursery and could feel her heartbreak a little. How did they do it? How did they find the power to force back whatever emotions they were feeling about Sac being dead - and Abel being taken to still be so serious? That's what pulled Lana in, every time. Hale was her family, but so were they.

"He's been like this since it happened," Tara started, and Lana looked back at her and Clay. "I don't know what to do."

"We'll take care of him." Clay's response was morose and not very encouraging. Lana turned back towards Opie and the guys getting Jax up from the floor and moved out of the way while they threw him in the shower. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and knew it was Clay's. "You okay?"

Turning back to look at Clay she nodded her head, "I guess I should be asking you that." Instinct told her to hug him, and she caught both Clay and herself by surprise when she did. Clay held on longer than he probably should have. He was still having a hard time processing the fact that this was his daughter. "Have you heard from Gemma? How are the guys doing? I'm so sorry about Sac and.. I don't..." Lana stared up at him and just shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm overstepping again and.."

"No, no.. it's fine." Clay lets out a sigh and gives her a pat on the shoulder to direct her to another room. "Don't apologize, you're family. This club, we're your family. When one of us hurts, we all hurt. Gem is okay. We got Tig and a few guys with her." Clay looked over at Lana and hesitated a bit when he noticed how intently she was staring at him. Hanging on every word. "We'll figure it out." Lana smiled before showing herself out to take a phone call. It was Hale.

* * *

At the Charming PD, Hale begins to pack up his office in preparation for his promotion to Chief; which is official in a week. Lana smiles at him before walking up, when she notices he's talking to someone in his office. She waits by the door and recognizes the voice inside is his brother Jacob. The mere sight of him makes her blood boil and when she hears him say he's going to become mayor - Lana can't help but intervene. "Good to see the unjust is on both sides of the law then, huh?" Hale smirked a little and Jacob looked at Lana in disbelief. "You're a snake and that won't sit well no matter who's in your corner."

"That shit with Zobelle," Jacob looks down at Lana and then back at his brother. "I'm sorry."

"Doesn't matter now," Hale responds while leaning up against his desk. He cracks a smile at Lana and then it fades when his attention turns back to his brother. "He's inner-poles problem... unless he's dead."

"Just think about it, okay?"

"I'm with you Jake." Lana stared at Hale while he spoke to his brother and didn't say a word. How could she? He was his family. As horrible as his brother was - there was a part of her that understood why he'd be in his corner no matter what. Without saying another word Jacob showed himself out and left Lana and Hale to themselves. "You know, he knows you hate him - you really don't have to remind him every time you see him."

"Hmm," Lana smiled before moving over to the desk and handing him a pile of folders off of it. "But then I wouldn't have any fun. Almost finished packing up in here?" If it was small talk that was going to bring them back closer together - Lana was no stranger to it. They hadn't really spoken since their break up; the same break up that Lana was refusing to accept. The both of them shared a look, and it made her melt.

"Yeah, I guess so. Not much time left before Unser's out." While Lana wasn't outright celebrating the fact that Unser was retiring - she was happy Hale would be taking over. He deserved it. Still, she chose her next moves carefully. She moved over to the same side of the desk he was standing on and placed her hands against his chest.

"You want to know what I think?" She paused for a second and smiled when he nodded his head. "I don't think there's anybody more deserving. It's just a shame we never got the chance to christen the office here..." She closed the gap between the both of them and leaned up to kiss him. Her heart began to pound while she wondered if he'd kiss her back or not.

"We could be here all day..." Hale whispered against her lips before capturing hers with his own. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his hips - before carrying her to the door to make sure it was locked. Hale's tongue wrestled with hers, and even though - she continued to fight for dominance over him. He set her on the desk and started to unbotton his shirt. Lana could feel her body heat up - as she leaned in every so often to kiss him. "When's the last time we..."

Lana panted against him and started to let out little moans when he sucked at her neck. He chuckled against her and moved to removing her clothing - piece by piece. The leather jacket she had come in had landed on the floor and her take top had been ripped off quickly after. He kissed her neck and trailed down to her collar bone before moving to take her breast in his mouth.

Hale pushed Lana up against the desk for support and dropped down so that his eyes were level between her legs. Lana had almost lost her footing when his tongue began darting back and forth against her clit, it'd been a while since they were intimate like this. "Oh god," she moaned feeling pleasure straight down to her toes. Hale had leaned up to kiss her.

"I want you..." she whispered looking up at him. "I want my fiance." Hale, who was now staring down at her had nodded his head before capturing her lips savagely against his. He pushed his member slowly inside of her before slamming into her harder. The sounds the both of them were making were sure to garner some sort of attention from the office, but he didn't care.

Lana screamed out as he pounded into the deepest parts of her. She clawed against his skin as he continued to thrust faster and harder. "I love you," He whispered as he felt her walls clenching around him when he climax hit again and again. Emotion came over her and her eyes had begun to fill with tears. Her body trembled against him, but regardless of her reaction - he continued to thrust into her repeatedly - even after his climax came - he continued to thrust filling her with his seed - more than before. He pulled out of her slowly before capturing her lips again.

* * *

At the funeral home a large number of Samcro charters gather for Half Sack's wake. Lana smiles when she sees Unser, Hale and several deputies from the Charming PD there was well. Lana makes her way over to the guys and waits when she sees Clay and Bobby discussing growing the club. She listens in when Kozik says he'd be interested in a transfer. "Where've you been all day?" Bobby arches a brow towards Lana and Lana looks down guilt stricken. She was supposed to help Piney get all the arrangements together for the funeral.

"Business." Lana said while looking over at Hale again. The both of them share a look and she can't help but smile.

"Mmhmm." Knowingly, Bobby gives Clay a look and then walks inside. Clay stays behind and motions Lana to the side. He shakes the hand of a few Samcro brothers and then gives Lana some information about Gemma. The conversation is short, but leaves Lana both relieved and sad at the same time. Gemma would want to be here and it was unfair she couldn't. Clay warned it was Stahl's doing and to be wary - no matter what side Hale had landed on.

Standing before the black SAMCRO coffin, Lana overhears Clay tell Jax that what happens in Charming sets the tone for every charter; he says the other brothers "respect and understand his grief," but insists: "they're also wondering what you're gonna do with it." Clay tells Jax he needs to "make the hard choice… either Abel is dead and you want revenge, or he's alive and you would kill to find him." Lana stands behind the both of them and swallows hard. Clay motions for her to join them and she stared down at the coffin before placing a hand against it. She keeps her comments to herself and gives both their hands a squeeze before following suit and going outside. There were so many people there.

Like the day they went into lockdown - several dozen Sons mingle and talk outside of the funeral home. A silver panel-van slowly rolls past. Suddenly the van's door slides open, and automatic weapons begin to fire on the crowd.. Lana watched as everyone begins to scramble; the men push the women and children to the ground and before she knows it Clay is shoving her to the ground and covering her. Unser opens fire on the van, hitting the windshield; one of the gunmen falls from the van, which accelerates towards Deputy Chief Hale. Hale opens fire, but the van plows into him before speeding off. In that moment - everything slows down - and then speeds back up. Lana sits up and sees several innocent people are wounded and bleeding - she doesn't see anybody she recognizes until she notices Unser running across the street towards where Hale had been standing. Lana moves past the crowd and Piney grabs her. "Dav... is that... is that David? Hale!" she screams, and when Unser looks up she begins to scream again. "DAVID!"

"Lana, don't!" Piney does his best to hold her, but she fights him enough to get loose. She runs across the street and when Unser gets up to keep her away from seeing it - she sees Jacob run over and hold his brother. She can't breathe and breaks down at his side. The both of them mourn the loss of Hale before Jacob steps back and looks on in disbelief.

Jax and Clay look around at the chaotic scene: Clay looks around at the children covered in blood - the women and men shot - Hale dead across the street. He shuts his eyes and could hear Lana's cries. Piney walks over towards Lana - who was still crying in the street and lifts her up and holds her close to him while she sobs. Deputies have one of the shooters at gunpoint, and force him to the ground. Jax approaches; he pushes his way past the police, and then begins to repeatedly bash the masked man's head against the pavement until Opie and Bobby pull him away.


	16. Chapter 16 - Home

**Note** : This next chapter will span across Season 3 (Episodes 2-5) The death of Hale was pivotal towards Lana's arc in this story and I wanted to stay as true to the series as possible about how it happened. Anyway - here's a new chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Hale being killed had only added to Samcro's problems. Most of the townsfolk within Charming had been sucked in by Jacob Hale's mayor bid. His entire campaign focusing solely on the crime within their small town. Hale was dead. Gemma was on the run. Abel had been kidnapped. Sac was stabbed to death. _Hale was dead_. Dead. Lana stared blankly into her _now_ cold cup of coffee that Clay had poured her. It'd been two days since Hale had been killed and shit wasn't any easier. He watched Lana sit at the table and made ill timed attempts at comfort. She didn't want it - he didn't have many options here. Gemma usually dealt with all of this shit. She was always more emotionally available for the guys in the club. He knew a simple 'I'm sorry' wasn't going to cut it.

"I have to head over to the clubhouse. We gotta figure some shit out as far as what happened at Sac's funeral." His words didn't resonate with Lana, and he could tell. She was simply not interested - or really wasn't all there. "You want me to send over some food?" Still, she remained silent. "Look," Clay started. "I don't know what to do here. I'm trying here... Come to the Clubhouse tonight." Lana glanced up at him as he walked out of her home, still keeping quiet. When he pulled out of her driveway - she got up from her chair and locked the door.

This was the first time she'd been alone since it happened. She glanced around the empty room and it got the best of her. Every single thing in her home had his presence in it. She leaned against the front door and slid down it when heavy sobs and large tears took her over. She pulled herself up and started to destroy her home. Her grief had finally been marginated by anger. In the midst of her destruction - a small box had caught her attention. She immediately felt a lump in her throat and went to grab it. Inside the box was a handwritten note - from Hale, instructing her to go upstairs and check her top drawer. Tears filled her eyes once again and she was overcome once again by grief. A few minutes later - Lana mustered up enough strength to go upstairs.

Once her dresser drawer was open - she removed a large manilla folder from it. She pulled out a large stack of papers and smiled to herself at the hand written note on top of them.

" _No more secrets_ ," it was Hale's writing again. " _I knew everything about you the first day you stepped into Charming. I'm sorry I kept that from you for so long. I thought I was keeping you safe by not telling you - especially when you were trying so hard to put the puzzle together. Your birth certificate, your original birth certificate. In addition - the life you were searching for - your mom. Who she was. It's so scary sometimes how close you are to figuring it all out. You're a good person Lana. I guess I didn't want you to know about Clay because I was afraid you'd end up just like him, but if you've proven anything it's that you're her. Unser says she was kind, loyal, naturally funny and had a heart the size of Texas. I quickly realized during our talk that he was describing you. We have the power to write our own history. Hold on to that. I love you. David."_

Lana held the letter close to her chest before looking at the pile of papers. The first being her birth certificate. She'd already discovered her parentage - but it seemed more real seeing Clay's name and signature there. She continued to sift through the files within the envelope. There were several land contracts from Clay to her mother. A living will from her mother that left them all to her. Pictures upon pictures of her mother and Samcro members. Way more than she ever knew existed. Letters from Clay to her mother... her mother's death certificate. Lana went through it all, making sure not to miss a single detail.

When Lana went to put the envelope back in her dresser she saw the corner of another manilla folder - this one was lighter than the last. She quickly pulled it out and opened it up on the bed. Inside of it was a flash drive and a ring. She put the ring on her finger and quickly moved to open the flash drive up on her laptop. The corner of her mouth threatened a smile when she saw a single folder on it - " **No more secrets.** " Lana clicked on the folder and was taken aback by the number of files that popped up. It was everything she'd lost on her laptop when it was destroyed and then some. Everything she needed to know about Samcro and the people related to.

"Wait," Lana whispered when she noticed there was a file in her name. She clicked on it and sat back in her bed staring at the screen. It was **empty**. Her criminal past - all of it. It was gone. We have the power to write our own history.

* * *

Later that night and after a long hot shower - Lana had pulled herself together enough to make an appearance at the Clubhouse. Her long raven colored hair had fallen down her back and her lips were painted red. Hale had said there were a lot of similarities between Lana and her mother - but he was wrong about one thing. She **wasn't** her. "Hey sweetheart," Piney was quick to greet her, but stopped when he'd noticed her demeanor. She looked like Gemma reincarnated. "How you holding up?"

"I'll survive," Lana responded before looking around the room. "Clay in the chapel?" Before Piney had a chance to give any sort of answer - Lana had helped herself inside. Everyone quickly turned towards the door and she was quick to make eye contact with both Clay and Jax.

"Wha...?" Jax, confused stared at her and then Clay. Lana tossed the pile of files - all of Samcro - their enemies - their allies onto the table in front of them. "What's all of this?"

"A present," Lana kept a hold of one file under her arm and watched the guys sift through their files. She was sure none of them were surprised by most of what was in front of them. Still, it was something. "...from Hale." Clay's expression had turned to sadness when he looked up at his daughter. She let them talk among themselves for a few moments and mused when Juice had said it was kind of scary that they had all of this information. A lot of it - even he couldn't hack. The rest of them actually thankful they had all of this intel on the opposing charters around them. Notably - Alvarez's.

"What's.. uhm," Jax pointed to the one she had under her arm and Lana tossed it on the table. The last folder was Stahls.

"I have a plan..." Lana started and she glanced at Piney who joined them when he walked into the room.

Clay was quick to pull a vote once Lana had left the room that when they did go through with this plan, and they would - that none of it touched Lana. 'We owe it to her to keep her hands as far away from this as possible' was his retort to the guys. Not a single member opposed. After all was said and done the guys quickly went their separate ways.

Jax and Clay stayed behind in the chapel and invited Lana back in. All of the information she'd tossed at their feet - about each other - The Mayans - the IRA - Stahl. It was enough to bury everyone. Jax was still in disbelief that Lana was the one who was ready and willing to pull the bullet on all of them. The raven haired woman understood the importance of finding Abel first though and was willing - per club vote - to keep her plan to herself until the Club called upon her. Hale was at the beginning of his career and who knows what route it would have taken. The information he'd managed to stockpile though proved that he was at the start of something big. He very well could have removed Samcro from Charming completely.

"Can I..." Lana started, but was quickly dismissed by Clay. She straightened up some and was actually taken by surprise when he asked Jax to give them a minute. Even more surprised when Jax was quick to agree and left the room.

"Sit down." Lana took a moment to process what Clay had told her to do. When it finally registered, she was quick to sit down in the chair that Tig normally sat in. Clay cleared his throat before confessing, "He doesn't know."

"About me?" Lana questioned, but already knew the answer. Jax didn't know, but Gemma did. There was no way she couldn't have - at least not at this point of her being there. She would have put it all together long before Lana ever did. "I uhm... all of this, it's not why I..."

"I want you to listen to me, and listen good." Clay leaned in. His voice scared Lana - it was so matter of fact and his tone direct and powerful. "What happened to Hale..."

"I don't blame you." She didn't. "Hale was right about a lot of things, and probably will continue to be. This..." Lana looked around the room and a sigh of relief escaped her. "I have a father... and a family." Clay stared at her and his expression softened, just as it did whenever he heard those words. He had a daughter. "He knew, this whole time and maybe deep down I did too. I belong here Clay, not just in Charming, but here..." she put a lot of emphasis on the latter before brushing her hair off of her shoulders. "Whatever my mother was, whoever she was to you..."

"When all of this shit blows over," Clay started. "Maybe we can work this shit out. I'd like to know my daughter."

"Well, I don't need you to teach me how to ride a bike and shit but..." Lana's smile grew wide when she heard Clay chuckle under his breath. "I don't know, maybe you can teach me how to shoot a gun or something. I have an awful shot."

"Probably not that, but we'll see." Clay glanced over at the door. "Get out of here kid, we'll talk later."

* * *

- _Ring Ring-_

The next day Lana had found herself sitting at the end of the table at the Charming PD with a cup of coffee in her hand. She wasn't ready to face the beast inside of Hale's office - his brother Jacob had been in there packing up all of his stuff. Unser insisted on giving them both a few moments before she go in. Still, the wait had only made her yearn for a friend that much more.

"Hello," the voice on the other end responded. Lana smiled against the phone with tear filled eyes.

"Hi," her voice was low and without hesitation she made her identity known towards the other woman. "It's me Lana."

"Lana? Everything okay?"

"No," Lana said waiting for the door to Hale's office to open. "I was calling to check on you." It had been a few weeks since she saw Gemma - but everything that had happened - her purpose - her mother's life - all roads had led her to Gemma. Gemma was quick to take her in on a maternal level - and whether she knew the truth about Clay being her father or not, Lana had decided to do everything in her power to keep Gemma close. She needed her.

"You on your cell?" Gemma, still suspicious, had asked before sitting down on the stairs in her fathers home. It'd been so long since she's had a conversation like this. Before Lana had been shot - this was something the both of them did on a daily basis. She missed it.

"Uhm," Lana started before pausing when she saw Jacob leaving Hale's office. The two of them stared at one another for a moment before Lana continued with her conversation. "I'm using one of the club's prepays."

"You okay sweetheart?"

"...I guess I just needed to hear a friendly voice."

"Ugh, you went through it baby," Gemma sighed, her heart was pained more than Lana could possibly imagine. It hurt to lose the prospect, but to lose Hale too. He was a huge part of Gemma. Charming. She watched that kid grow up. She watched him and Lana fall in love. "What happened with the prospect, and Hale." Gemma took a moment to find better wording. "Too much shit for you to have to deal with. You gotta hold on to family baby, that's what's holding me through it." There was a loud pop in the background and Lana was quick to question. "Ah, shit. I'll call you back."

* * *

Later on that day Lana had reached out to Tara. She quickly explained her phone call with Gemma and the one that followed after about Tig being shot. Tara and Lana had both agreed that they would go to Gemma. Tara went into the bedroom to pack her bags while Lana waited for her in the kitchen. She was quickly met by an annoyed Jax. He gave a confused look towards Lana, and rather than ask why she was there - he went to look for Tara.

"Where you going?"

"Gemma called," Tara started while piling medical supplies in her bag. "Something happened and she needs me up there."

"No," Jax demanded. "If you get caught up with my mom that's aiding and abedding - you'll lose your license."

"So what do I tell her?" Tara retorted. Lana walked in and leaned against the couch waiting for them to finish this conversation.

"Tell her you're taking a leave of absence." Jax angrily responded before moving to answer his ringing phone. He turned his back towards Tara and made note of Lana standing there. She mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry' to him and when the call was over he made sure to tell Tara that they needed to finish the conversation. Lana stood there quietly until Jax was gone.

"Maybe you should stay," her voice was calm and her demeanor was a lot stronger than it had been, given the past few days she's had. The last thing Lana wanted to do was piss Jax off and if he found out that Lana was the one who suggested to Tara that they go - he'd be even more livid with the both of them.

"No," the brunette responded. "I said I was going, so I'm going to go." Tara grabbed her bags and smiled when she saw Lana's lips curl. This was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.


	17. Chapter 17 - Caregiver

A/N: Sorry for the long delay! Remember - most of these chapters are in the process of being rewritten. Shorty, but necessary as I'll be picking up here when Gemma finds out that Abel is in Belfast. Enjoy!

* * *

Over the course of the next couple of days, Lana had remained particularly close to Clay. There was one thing that bothered her the most about what Hale had left in his letter. Her birth certificate. Clay signed it. He _knew_ she existed. A part of her didn't blame him though for staying away; as strange as that felt for her to admit. It had only taken Lana a few days into her grief before she was back at the Clubhouse doing whatever she needed to to stay busy. She _knew_ the guys were going up to Canada to find Cameron. She _knew_ they'd be making a pit stop to retrieve Gemma along the way. She also _knew_ Tara wasn't supposed to be anywhere near there - per Jax. Whatever loyalty she had for Tara though kept her secret safe as far as the both of them traveling up together.

Still, it was strange being in Gemma's home without her here. It'd open up the window for conversation with Clay, but didn't feel as homey as it might have had Gemma been there. Lana had glanced up from her files and noticed Clay was staring at her. She gave a soft smile before looking down in embarrassment.

" _What_?"

"Nothing," Clay smiled. There was nothing that would bring back the time he missed in her life, but this - whatever **this** was - it was nice. He wasn't prepared for Lana, and that may be why her arrival in Charming threw him off guard. Too many damn secrets among him and his friends. Jax has already hinted at suspicion between the both of them and their "sudden" blossoming friendship. He warned how dangerous that could be and reminded Clay about what Gemma did to Cherry and not wanting that to happen to Lana. It was only a matter of time before the boys would start assuming Lana was his side piece. His personal crow eater. The thought, in truth, made him a little sick.

"Maybe," Clay opened his mouth to speak and couldn't help but smile when their eyes met. "What uhm, what was she like? How..." He gives a defeated look and shakes his head. "Forget about it, forget I brought it up." Lana smiles again and brings her coffee mug to her lips. Their eyes meet again and she can tell there's something stirring in Clay's head up there. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I just wish I knew you a lot sooner kid."

"I hear all kinds of stories... from Gemma, Piney..." Lana started and takes a second to reflect on those conversations. "I don't know, she wasn't that. She was sad. I saw it all the time..." Lana shuts her eyes and they swell with tears when the thoughts of finding her mother dead make a quick appearance. "...she was sad."

"I may not listen as good as Gem, but if you wanted to talk about it." Clay met her eyes with hesitation. He really didn't know what kind of conversation this would open the door to. He still had too much on his plate with Gemma. Finding Abel. His club. Still, he didn't want her to feel like she was any less important. **HIS** club has done nothing but ruin her life since she's stepped foot in Charming.

"Oh, uhm," Lana hesitated at first and brought her hand up to brush the strands of hair from her face. "It really wasn't all bad. When it was just me and her." A smile crept on Lana's face as she shut her eyes momentarily to remember her mother. "She used to wake me up really early in the morning and we'd run down to the lake. It was so spontaneous and well," Lana looks at Clay and her smile widens when she sees that he's smiling at her. Maybe he really did care. "I just remember us in our white nightgowns and hair blowing in the wind. Wind chimes. If you got there at a certain time you could hear them from every house. I thought it was magic. It sounded so beautiful."

Lana continued telling Clay stories of her childhood, before her mother had passed. Even parts of it after - which she was sure Juice had already managed to dig up. Clay sat there at the head of his kitchen table and watched Lana intently. She had a reaction to everything, which he enjoyed. She didn't just talk, she felt. Which reminded him so much of her mother. He lets out a heavy sigh when his phone rang and reaches for her hand. "Sorry kid, it's Jax. I gotta take this."

* * *

At Nate's - Lana and Tara had finally arrived. Tara wasn't given too much of an explanation on Tig's injuries other than the fact that Nate, Gemma's father had shot him in the back. Both women were greeted by Gemma; Lana surprising herself when she was overcome by emotion at seeing the woman for the first time in weeks. So much had happened. It was easy for Tara to see that Gemma reciprocated those feelings. She'd never really saw Gemma care about another woman that way. "Hey baby, I'm so glad you're here." Gemma held onto Lana tight and then reached over to pull Tara in as well. "You too. My strong girls. I missed you both."

"Where's Tig?" Tara asked after she pulled away. Gemma motioned up the stairs to the bedroom, and finally let go of Lana once Tara started to head up that way. Lana had been witness to the fight Tara and Jax had gotten into which resulted in him telling her to stay home. It was a good thing neither of them ever really listened.

"I'm so sorry about Hale baby," Gemma motioned for Lana to follow her up the stairs. "It breaks my heart, he was one of the good ones." Lana stared at her for a second and then followed her up. She didn't question Gemma's words because during their entirety of the relationship they had the only bad thing Gemma had to say about Hale was that he was a cop. "I wanted to come home as soon as I found out about it all. I wish I could have been there for you."

"Thanks Gemma," Lana whispered before looking into the room. Tara was pulling a bullet from Tig's skin, and while she wished this was the first time she'd seen Tara do something like this - the act itself was still a little hard to watch. Tig smiles up at her and she gives a soft wave. "Hey Tig."

"Hey doll. Sorry about Hale, he shouldn't have gone out like that." Before he could say another word, he winced in pain. Both Tara and Lana exchanged looks and Tara smiled. She may have stabbed the skin a little too hard on Lana's behalf.

"Well you're going to be fine, there's no bone or muscle damage." Tara brushed a Q-Tip along the wound and started to patch Tig up.

"Thanks Doc," Tig started. "I'm sorry I pulled you away from your work."

"It's okay." Tara responded and glanced over at Gemma and Lana catching up on what's been going on. Lana of course leaving out the part about Abel missing. A small part of Tara being a little jealous of the rapport the two of them had. Gemma needed to know about Sac's funeral, and how Hale died. Surprisingly, it wasn't as difficult to talk about as Lana suspected it would be.

"Here," Gemma pulled Lana from the bed and out of the bedroom. "I should introduce you to my dad so he doesn't accidentally shoots you too."

"How's uh... Jax holding up?" Tig asked turning his attention towards the girls leaving the bedroom back up towards Tara.

"I don't know," Tara bitterly responded. It wasn't Tig's need to know that they were fighting. "I'm sure he tells you guys more than he tells me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Gemma frantically searches all over the house for Nate and when she comes back to report he's missing - both she and Tara go to look for him. Lana stays in the bedroom at Tig's request. "You okay?" Tig watched her look around the room, curious. "I'm glad you came up."

"I should be asking you that. You're the one that was shot." Lana pulls her black hair up in a ponytail and takes off her leather jacket. She takes a seat on the bed next to him and lets out a sigh before brushing her hand over the stitching on his wound. "She did a good job, you probably won't scar at all."

"You cut your hair." It wasn't flattery, well, maybe a little on his part. She was so hard to win over and it frustrated the shit out of him. "Still beautiful." Tig's compliment made her blush - it was freeing to cut her long locks.

"Right," Lana shrugged it off as quickly as she could before pushing herself off the bed. "I should go see if they found Nate. I'm glad you're okay Tig, truly."

"Hey," Tig reached out for her and took her hand. He gave it a little squeeze before getting up from the bed himself. "I'm really happy to see you Lan." He closed the gap between the both of them and Lana stared up at him nervous. Tig was testing her, and when he brushed his lips against hers - he almost expected her to pull away. When she didn't though; he couldn't stop himself from kissing her again.

"Nate!" Tara's voice traveled outside in the hall, and Lana pushed herself away from Tig quickly. She smiled up at him before joining the women in their search.

Their search resulted in all three women in Nate's basement where Gemma had been keeping his housekeeper? Lana and Tara both watched the exchange happen between the two woman. Lana already putting two and two together and figuring out this was the one Tig having sex with when Nate shot him. "She's not going to help us Gem." Lana's voice was cold - and she gives Tara a glance. "We'll look through the town. See if anybody's seen him. Nobody will recognize Tara and myself."

* * *

Lana took watch while Tara had gone to see if the Guatemalan in the basement was seriously hurt. Tig was outside waiting on Gemma and Nate. It was all Lana could do to keep herself busy. She hated the waiting. When she made her way to the kitchen, she screamed out when the same woman in the basement was the one standing infront of her right now with knife to her throat.

"Where are the keys to Nate's car?!" She pressed the knife tightly against her skin.

"I don't know. I've never been here before." Lana exclaimed looking around the room. Where was Tara?!

"I will cut your god damn throat."

"I swear," Lana whispered, "I don't know where they are. I don't even know Nate." She tried her best to calm her, but the knife had only added more pressure against her skin. Before she could say anything else, Tara had come up from behind and smashed something against the back of her head. It left enough time for Lana to try to grab the knife from her. Although the attempt wasn't a successful one - because the knife had stabbed into the woman's chest. Lana jumped back in terror while Tara had moved quickly to see if she was still alive.

"She's... she's dead."

"I didn't..." Lana stuttered to find her words while looking on in horror. A reaction Tara knew all too well once before. "I didn't mean to... are you sure?" By the time Lana had come to terms with what had just happened - both Gemma and Tig were in the kitchen staring at the dead Guatemalan. "This is...bad." Lana whispered looking over at Gemma. By the tally - Lana had now been shot by Clay and accidentally killed a woman who potentially posed a threat to Gemma. Life in Charming was not supposed to play out this way.

"Her choice." Gemma stated before straightening up.

In Nate's kitchen Tig says he knows a "cleaner" named Bachman who lives nearby, and can dispose of Amelia's body; they have some cash on hand, but will have to barter to cover the balance of his fee. Tig makes the call after Lana volunteers money from one of her accounts. This was after all, most of her fault. While the three of them waited upstairs for Bachman to do his thing - Tig stared straight over at Lana.

"I could feel your eyes on me," Lana started. "Just say what you have to say." She looked over at Gemma who - along with Tara had now turned their attention to the both of them. Tara let out a sigh and moved to sit down next to Lana. Their sisterhood may have been a lot closer than she'd originally let on. She felt for her, she really did.

"You okay?" Tara gave the raven haired woman's shoulder a rub and then looked over at Gemma. She could tell she was paying attention to everything, and who could blame her. She's been out of the loop for so long - budding friendships were likely to arise all throughout the clubhouse. "That wasn't your fault."

Pfft. Lana almost laughed, "Yeah." She turned to look at Gemma and then back at Tig. "You guys don't have to protect me... Poor innocent little Lana." Her voice had turned from mild amusement to a deep level of sarcasm.

"We know baby," Gemma cracked a smile. She knew. Lana had told her a lot at the beginning of their friendship. A part of her would always want to protect her though - say the friendship she once had with Lana's mother. "I'm really sorry about Hale."

Lana looked up at her, "You said that earlier."

"Yeah, but now I mean it."

* * *

Lana spent the next morning helping Gemma pack up Nate's things. What was meant to be a task to keep the ladies busy - ended up being quite a few moments both Lana and Tara bonded with Gemma. This was a new side to her. One neither woman had ever really saw. "I was going to leave." Lana confessed. She had a look of nervousness spread across her face. It was likely a confession Gemma wouldn't take too kindly too, especially since she wasn't even home. When neither woman spoke up, Lana continued. "... Hale and I were going to leave." She sunk into the bed some, almost sheepishly.

Gemma stared at Lana - her confession bringing up old memories. Lana's mother choosing to run away with the cop and abandon her family. Abandon her. Tara, not Gemma was the one who spoke up. "Sometimes... sometimes it's necessary to leave for a little while. Figure shit out."

"I uhm, I'm going to go home." she began to stutter some, nerves probably. Fear that Gemma wasn't speaking because now she was upset with her. "Hale...he didn't want to go.. but I uhm... I'm leaving tomorrow" Lana confessed while her eyes swelled with tears. Guilt settling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't help but wonder if that's what sealed his fate in Charming. He didn't want to leave Charming - so Charming made sure he never would. "Gemma..."

"Yeah darling?" Gemma sat down on the bed beside Lana and moved her finger softly against her tear stained cheek.

"... I'm pregnant."


	18. Chapter 18 - Turning and Turning

The choice to go back to Oregon was weighing heavy on Lana's mind. There was so much unfinished business there, she was ready to just shut the door completely on who she was. Hale had warned her in the beginning of their relationship that Charming had a way of changing people; and he was right. Charming had changed Lana. She originally started her journey from Oregon in search of her mother. Who she was, and what secrets she hid from the world. What wasn't her intention was to find family. Not just in Hale, but the club too. Lana quickly fell in love with every single one of them. Every fault and endearing qualities. All of it. Even further than that - in discovering her mothers biggest secret - her father. It was scary to think of leaving it all behind. She starts to pen a letter to Gemma, but she wakes up and startles Lana instead.

Gemma struggles to sit up when she discovers that she's been handcuffed to her bed. Lana, who's been keeping vigil by her bedside looks up at her and joins her on the bed. "... I'm sorry." Gemma is cold towards her, and understandably so. Gemma is pissed that Clay and the others kept the situation about Abel a secret. She scolds the raven haired woman and all Lana can do is stare guiltily towards her. She really _was_ sorry.

"I'm sorry Gemma. With everything going on, Sac... Hale... Nate. They asked me not to tell you, and I didn't think it was my call." Lana sat on the edge of her bed and looked over at her. "I'm going to go home... to Oregon." The news forced Gemma to sit up and she winced a little. Concerned, Lana tried her best to comfort the woman. "It might be a while before I see you again, so I wanted to say goodbye.."

"What? No." Gemma folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. " **No.** " Lana just gave her arm a squeeze and rose from her bedside to go get Jax. When both she and Jax return to the room - Lana listens in as he brings his mother up to speed about everything they know about Abel. Gemma shares the phone call she got from Maureen Ashby and Lana watches both Jax and now Clay - whom overhears reaction. Jax wants to contact the Belfast SOA charter, but Clay makes a comment that he may have already chosen a side. The thought of leaving still weighing heavy on her mind, Lana lets out a sigh and exchanges a look with Gemma.

Lana follows the guys outside into the hallway and tells them of her plans to return to Oregon. Jax is a little skeptical when Clay's reaction mirrors his wife's earlier. Unexpected.

"Can I... have a word?" An angry Lana demanded of her father and lead the way into the hospital's chapel and waited for Clay to follow her. Jax stayed behind and went back to see his mother.

Inside the chapel - Clay and Lana sat opposite each other in silence. Lana shut her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. "I'm going home and you're going to support that decision." Clay looked at her in disbelief. One, who the hell did she think she was to demand anything? They're ass deep in fed bullshit, and she wants to leave?

"You're going to stay put in Charming, do you hear me?" The way Clay spoke towards her was almost threatening; Lana stared blankly at him before straightening up her posture. She didn't know if she had the confidence to stand up to Clay like she would any other man in her life. She was constantly afraid of crossing the line between chasing that father/daughter relationship. "That's the end of it." Lana watched him get up and head towards the door and her desperation got the best of her.

"I'm pregnant!" She stood quickly and turned to face him. "With Hale's baby... I..." He froze a moment before leaving the chapel, and her. She turned back towards the alter and lit a candle. For Hale. For what was coming her way. She was alone.

Meanwhile, Gemma talks to Tara; during their conversation Tara confesses she's six weeks pregnant… adding that no one else knows. Gemma confesses that Lana is pregnant too, but somehow felt that Tara already knew that. Tara nodded her head in response to Gemma's comment. "She wants to go home," Gemma casually mentions.

"You can't stop her," Tara lets out a sigh and tries to soak all of this in. Lana was different; like Tara was different. She saw that in her, saw so much of herself in her. Probably took a liking to her because of it. "Charming broke her. She's sad, a lot more than she's letting on. She doesn't want to disappoint you, Clay or the club."

"That shit with Hale," Gemma shuts her eyes, still wishing she could have been there. "Really messed her up didn't it?" Tara nodded, having spoken to Lana about this already - in depth. Gemma blinked several times to bite back tears that filled her eyes. "We can't let her go," Gemma leans in. "This is her home. She needs us."

Tara questions Gemma's sincerity for a minute. Lana had revealed the truth of her parentage when she was shot, but it wasn't discussed further. Tara wasn't so sure that Gemma didn't know a lot more than she was letting on.

* * *

Later on at the clubhouse, Lana fills in for Tara who gets stuck at the hospital and does her best to clean up Juice. She wipes his wounds and stays silent in the process, so quiet that Juice feels awkward and speaks up. "You want to talk about it?" The smile on Lana's face is faint, and she hands him the gauze before motioning for one of the new prospects. "Keep that on his face until the bleeding stops. You don't need stitches, but they got you pretty good." She gives Juice a genuine smile before excusing herself.

"Hey Lan, wait up." Juice calls out after her, following her outside. He stops her and pulls her into a hug. He wasn't really good at this shit, but they were friends. They became friends and that meant something. He trusted her. She meant something. Lana broke down in tears and held on to him tight, which he wasn't expecting. "You don't have to say anything," Juice whispered and held on to her until she was ready to let go. The guys were pulling in; and he'd probably catch a lot of shit, but Juice never let her go. There was a lot of shit the Club had put her through and nobody really doing anything or saying anything about it. He saw first hand how Hale was towards Lana - and was kind of envious of it.

"Thanks," Lana whispered before pulling away. Lana exchanged smiles with Piney and Opie before leaning in to kiss Juice softly against his cheek. "Thank you, really. Come by later on tonight, I'm making Meatloaf." She wiped her tears and walked over towards Clay and Jax. Before she had a chance to say anything - they're interrupted by Kozik with his transfer papers; both he and Tig exchange words and Lana takes a seat at the bar while the guys go into the chapel.

"Can I..." Lana stared up at Chuckie and nodded her head politely in response. She watched him pour her a shot and then go back to managing the bar. If you could call it that. He looked on at the chapel doors and Lana did too when whatever was happening behind those heavy doors spilled out into the clubhouse. Inside the chapel - the guys vote to accept three new prospects; they also approve Happy's transfer from the Nomads. Lana could hear them cheering from inside; but seconds later they're all out and a brawl escalates between Tig and Kozik - while everyone watches in amusement.

 _No_ , she wasn't going to miss this.

* * *

 _If these walls could talk; the stories they'd tell_. Lana finished packing up the final box of Hale's stuff and only lingered in the moment for a few seconds before someone was knocking on her front door. _His_... front door. She had to mentally prepare herself for another visit from Jacob Hale; she truly despised that man. It was too early for Juice. Surprisingly, he wasn't the guest she'd been expecting.

"What's wrong? Is Gemma okay?" The white haired man didn't respond until he was inside of the house. He looked around and took note of all the boxes. She was really leaving.

"You snuck out earlier, I didn't have a chance to..."

"You.." They both paused a second and Lana brushed her hair behind her ear nervously. "You first."

"No," Clay moved further inside the home - it being his first time there. He and Hale weren't exactly buddies. It was a nice place though; Lana would have clearly been taken care of here. "You go... and Gemma's fine." Lana sighed heavily and sat down on one of the chairs that hadn't been covered with sheets yet. "You're really leaving, aren't you?" The question was uncomfortable for Clay to ask, but Lana's hesitation told him she wasn't sure herself - he could still turn this around. "I don't want you to go."

"We were going to leave, you know?" She looks over at him and then swallows hard at the confession. "Hale and I... we were going to leave." Clay shook his head - this bringing back a lot of old shit for him. Her mother leaving Charming for some asshole cop. Leaving the club because something better existed and he couldn't provide it for her. "I can't..."

"Were you going to tell us?" The question was fair, and Lana's heart broke when she heard how hurt Clay was. She didn't understand, and frankly, she was done trying to. She shook her head and then watched as he got up and started to pace a little in the room.

"It's the least I can do... I owe him that."

"You don't owe him anything, Hale's dead." Clay's voice was straightforward, and to the point. He was trying to sympathize, but the truth of the matter was - he didn't die because of them. Nobody wanted Hale to go out the way he did.

"YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE THAT!" Lana screaming at him, caught her father off guard and she straightened up and with tears streaming from her eyes she just shook her head. "I don't even know why I'm here anymore! I'm done chasing ghosts."

"You want to know who she was," Clay motioned for her to get up from the chair, and when she didn't - he pulled her up and moved her - albeit harshly - to face the mirror in the hallway. "Take a long ass look. You are her!"

"You don't know **anything** about me."

"I knew who you were the second you stepped foot in my town, you hear me?!" Clay was now getting angry, and Lana's anger only intensified compared to what was boiling inside him. "You are Lori's daughter... my Lori. DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Clay's voice cracked a little, and he grabbed a hold of his daughter and tried his best to comfort her. "You're my daughter."

"I'm... not... her." Lana whispered, before breaking down again, this time in heavier sobs. Clay held on to her tight and forced her to stare at herself in the mirror. The harder Lana fought Clay, the more he pushed her to let go of whatever she was holding in.

* * *

It'd been hours since Clay had been in Hale's home.. her home. Still, the emotional distress he put her in was just about all she could handle. Lana heard a bike pull up outside and completely blanked as to why it'd be there. Juice. Fuck, she forgot she invited him over for dinner. She quickly tried to beat him to the door and was taken aback when she saw again, it wasn't who she was expecting. "Jax?"

"Hey darling," The way he confidently walked into her home was the way someone might an old friend. Jax was familiar, and she needed familiar. God did she need it. Lana shut the door behind him and lead him to the kitchen where she wasn't cooking dinner rather; but, going through some old letters from her mother. She didn't try to hide them. She was done digging up the past of a dead woman she didn't even know. "Where're you at? With all of this?"

Lana took a seat at the kitchen table and folded her arms across her chest. "Jacob is selling the house. Uhm, Hale left everything to him so I'm just... I don't know." She didn't. She wasn't taking anything - she just told Jacob she'd help him pack up the rest of David's belongings. She didn't share any profound memories with his lamps or paintings on the wall. She just had him. She looked around the room and sighed. "If you're going to try to talk me out of leaving, don't."

Jax shook his head and helped himself to a cup of coffee. He stared down at her and then looked around. He grew up with Hale and this was definitely a lot harder on him than he let on. "I'm not going to convince you to stay Lana." When he didn't argue, she took advantage of the window he left open for her and continued on.

"I'm going to go home to Oregon. I need to settle some shit. The way I left things, that's not me." Confession. It was always something, wasn't it? Lana gave him a look and joined him at the table. "I came here chasing a ghost that died in Oregon." She shakes her head and smiles when their eyes meet. "Do you ever feel like maybe you were wrong about John? Like... maybe you developed some sort of hero worship because you didn't know him like other people did?"

"I think my old man was good, but I think he would have done anything for his family - and this family." Jax was unusually calm, so much so that Lana actually started to wonder why he was here and not with Tara somewhere. "John mentioned her a lot you know, he said she was one of the few on board with the direction he was trying to take the club."

"Yeah," Lana smiled having read the copy of John's manuscript that Jax had lent her. "I read that. I think it's safe to say we at least inherited some of that. We know what works and what doesn't. What's too dangerous..." She looks up and hesitates a bit. It wasn't her place to talk about what the club was getting ready to do. What he was getting ready to do. What she was preparing to do.

"We need you here Lana, I need someone on my side." They both share a look in the silence that follows and Lana groans a little.

"Three days." She sat there contemplating where the conversation would head next - but didn't say much else. She'd have three days to go home to Oregon and finish what she started. She wasn't going to be living with the shackles of anybody's ghost anymore. Not her fathers, not her mothers and not Hale's. Even if it meant getting rid of the baby. Jax licked his lips slowly and nodded his head and Lana arched a brow at that.

"Two, we gotta move quick." Lana stared at Jax and could feel her eyes roll. His blue eyes and that blond hair; if she was into pretty boys - he'd be the end of her. "And, dinner. My treat."

"I can make two days work." Lana quipped before considering dinner. She nodded her head and smiled. "I'm not really into Chuckie's five star dining, but if you're buying - I'm in." They shared a laugh and Jax stood up and grabbed a hold of her hand. Lana stopped herself when they reached the door. Jax turned back towards her and watched her look back at whatever was still lurking inside the home. He gave her a few seconds before grabbing a hold of her hand again. "Bye Hale."


	19. Chapter 19 - Oregon

**Authors Note** : I suck. I wish I wouldn't have waited as long as I did to update this fic. I've been reading and working on the rewrite the past week or so. Life and all that. Here's a new chapter! Thanks for sticking with me!

* * *

There's something incredibly endearing about Oregon. Something about the people that live there that haven't quite caught up with the rest of the world yet. Lana hadn't been on the best terms when she'd left - but every door was still left open for a possible return. It was nice. Once Lana had crossed the state line - she knew she was no longer safe. No longer under the Club's protection - and that was fine. The scariest person in Oregon wasn't the Senator - it was the memories he'd instilled in her when she was younger. Another ghost. She wasn't afraid of him anymore. She wasn't afraid of _anything_ anymore.

* * *

Turning off the engine of her car, Lana adjusted her top. What she wore on her first day back to Oregon was very reminiscent of what she'd worn when she first arrived in Charming. Her faux leather jacket was now traded in for a real one, and her pants were a little tighter. Her long raven colored hair had been changed to a deep red that looked like a hot burning fire when the sun reflected against it. Her skin, still as pale as snow and her lips painted red like a rose. When she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she wasn't horrified at the person staring back at her - rather turned on by her.

Because both Jax and Clay refused to let her leave without someone with her - she'd acquired the company of Tig. Volunteer on his part. Lana had joked about his being shot by Nate, but still - he persisted. She glanced over at him in the passenger side and let out a quick breath of air before pushing him awake. When he stirred in his sleep, she figured it was pretty much a no-go as to waking him up. The decision, or fight rather of forcing him to leave his bike behind was one weighing heavy on her mind right about now. What was it with bikers and cars anyway? Lana quietly got out of the car and left the keys inside for him.

Lana slowly walked inside the medical building and let the front desk receptionist know she was there for her appointment. It was hard not to judge the other women in the room. Some pregnant, others there to do what she was doing. Planned on doing. Some pregnant and towing a child around. It was hard not to compare her story with theirs. "I'll be damned, Lana Montgomery." Hearing her name being called created a little panic, and Lana couldn't help her wide eyed stare.

"Oh my god," She rose to her feet quickly to greet her old friend. "How are you? Wow."

"I should be saying wow," the woman exclaimed. She was one of Lana's oldest friends, what was left of the friendship was questionable, but still. Jackie Adams was the type of person who lived in a bubble. Oblivious to the world around her. Thought everyone had good intention.. naivety on her part. Very Stepford wife type. They'd known each other since they were kids. "I thought you left town for good this time, Landon said you weren't coming back this time."

"Uhm, yeah." Lana started and smiled when she saw Tig coming her way. "He doesn't know I'm here. It's a surprise, promise you'll keep quiet?"

"OH." She gives a look down at Lana's belly and Lana actually takes a little offense to it. She wasn't even showing. "One of **THOSE** surprises. Poor thing, but I'm not shocked by it. You were always a wild one." Tig watched the exchange, slightly amused. He'd let her handle it. "So, who's the baby daddy? I could never keep up with those guys you used to date. Always running around with who knows, heh" Jackie's eyes went wide and she leaned in, as if to tell a secret. "Did you hear Landon killed one of them a few weeks ago. All out street war. Gangs around here will never learn. The department had full on gear and everything."

"What?" The news of one of her old friends getting gunned down by her brother caught her by surprise. "Do you know who?" Lana's smile faded and she nodded her head. "Uhm, it was so nice to see you Jackie. Good luck with..." Lana points to her stomach and shrugs, "Whatever." She grabs a hold of Tig and rolls her eyes at his snickering. "I hate that you saw that." She gives his arm a squeeze and heads towards the waiting area.

"Oh!" Jackie called out and Lana let out an inward groan. "Where are you staying at while you're here? I'd love to have you over for dinner. Invite Landon over - it'll be like old times, except this time he's not bailing us out of jail!"

Pushing her brightest smile forward, Lana nodded her head. "The best times. See you around Jackie."

"Oh come on," he couldn't help but laugh. Whoever this person was, she obviously riled some feathers or Lana wouldn't have been so heated. "You're cute when you're mad. I'm a little turned on by it." Lana gave him a playful slap on his arm and then turned her attention towards the nurse calling her name.

"Let's go."

* * *

"You know," Tig started before tossing some cotton balls into the trash. He gives a curious look, Clay never really said what she was doing back in Oregon. Once they'd arrived though, he kind of put the puzzle together. Overheard the word abortion and adoption options when he was minding his own business earlier. "This thing, you're doing here... Why didn't you let Tara take care of it?"

"She's not that kind of doctor," Lana quietly replied. Her eyes traveled around the room and tears streamed down her face for a few moments. Was she allowed to be emotional about this? She did come here to kill her baby. Once Lana had been given her ultrasound; emotions took over. Why did they have to give her an ultrasound. The choice she was making; and how selfish it was to erase any part of Hale in her life now that he was gone. This was going to destroy her.

"This kid..." Tig started to speak, but when he saw how emotional all of this was making her, he just grabbed a hold of her hand and pressed a kiss against her forehead. He motioned towards the door to give the doc a clue to take a hike. "Lan..."

"I can't do it," tears streamed down Lana's face. All she saw was Hale, he was everywhere - no matter how much she tried to pretend that he wasn't. He was her morning coffee. He was in every conversation she had with the Club, Unser, even Jacob. "I can't... pretend he didn't exist."

"Don't get the abortion." Tig had said it. The dirty word. The word that made Lana's eyes go wide, and allowed reality to sink in. Fast. The word that broke her heart all over again. Her choice. **Her** reality. Her wanting to pretend that Hale didn't exist. Her not needing a reminder that he's not here anymore. Hale _was_ gone. "Lan, I don't know. I'm not a good dad, okay. My kids, two of em' - they're kind of crazy, okay... but here me out? I'll help you though. We'll all help you." Tig's words echoed through the room and Lana had finally forced herself to stop crying. "We're all crazy about ya." He gave her hand a squeeze, " _I'm_ crazy about ya baby."

"Tig..." Before Lana could find another word towards any kind of rebuttal, Tig had leaned up to kiss her. He grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her up from the bed. It was a kiss that she found herself returning. It was a kiss that reminded her of what comfort felt like. "I'm terrified of what's next."

"I'm taking you out of this place." Tig lifted her from the bed and carried her out of the room - he smiled a bit when he felt her arms hold on tighter around his neck. Burying her face in his chest so that Jackie or anybody else couldn't see her. When they made it outside to the parking lot, he opened the door and set her in the passengers seat. "We'll go anywhere you want. If you want to stay here, we'll stay. Or we could go back home."

"No. I have to do something," Lana confessed. She turned to face him, and had to stop herself from speaking for a moment when his blue eyes stared deep into her. The same way Hale's did. "I need you to stay at the hotel."

"No fucking way." Tig's response was practical and blunt. He arched a brow in response to his own pondering, "What did you come here to do Lana?" She didn't have to tell him that she wasn't telling the truth, he could see it all over her face. He started the car and pulls out of the parking lot. They start driving to what he'd assume would be the hotel they're staying at, but she tells him to stop at some huge fenced-in mansion type of home. He gives her a look, the camera's likely already catching them. "What did you come here to do?"

Lana held her hand against the door handle, careful not to pull it open. Tig grabbed a hold of her other hand and held onto it tight. The gesture caught her by surprise and she looked down at their hands intertwined, and then up at him. Defeated, Lana sighed staring back out the window. "I wanted to see him one last time." It was her fathers home, the hell she grew up in. "I wanted to say goodbye."

"You know I can't let you do that doll. Anything to set off what the club has planned is a no-go." Tig tugged a bit at her hand; an ill-willed attempt to stop her. Still, Lana didn't move. Part of her more afraid of what she might do, rather than what she'd thought of doing.

"Promise me something," she whispered; her eyes never moving from the front of her childhood home. Beyond those isolated gates that housed a man who pretended to be her father - for whatever reason after knowing the truth.

"Anything baby."

"If we make it out of all of this alive... you'll let me do what I have to d.." She didn't even need to finish her sentence before Tig reassured her that he wouldn't. He knew more than he let on as far as what the club had planned in regards to not only Jimmy, and the rest of those IRA bastards, but the senator as well. He had a check that the club had intended to cash when all of this shit was over. Still, in an attempt to reassure the woman next to him, he nodded his head.

"Can we go home now?" Tig asked, but he could tell Lana was a million miles away. There was always so much more going on in that head of hers than she let on. Curiosity got the best of him; so he leaned over and whispered, "You're going to find a way to see him anyway, aren't you?" _That was bold_ , Lana thought to herself. He knew her though. Probably a lot more than she was willing to admit; or he paid attention - she couldn't really decide which. He wasn't wrong, which amused her more than it probably should have. This was just something she had to do. Get in, get out. She had to do it to make peace with everything... with Hale. Like Gemma, Tig knew Lana would find a way to do whatever she wanted. Hell, she'd probably wait until the club was long gone in Ireland and go back. Better that he was here now then. _Fuck_ , Clay was going to kill him.

If Lana was ever going to be able to move forward from all of this- she had to be honest. Not just with herself, but with the people that were still in her life. Here, now. She stared back up at the house and then slowly glanced back at Tig. He wasn't driving away, which gave her some inking of hope. She cleared her breath and let out a sigh in defeat. "He's not my father."

Blinking, "I'm sorry, what?"

His expression had said a little more than his question alluded to. There was no going back now. Lana repeated herself. "He's not my father."


	20. Chapter 20 - Abide

_"Clay Morrow is my father," Lana confesses to a now perplexed Tig. Lana watched his reaction and it wasn't one she felt as welcoming as Juice's. Betrayal spilled across every inch of his face. His hands now cold against hers, before quickly moving them away. "He knows. Piney, Hale and Unser are the only other ones who know." Still, Tig remained silent and it was all Lana could do to not freak out. How could he go from being so warm and kind to her to **this**? _

_It'd be easier if she knew what he was thinking. "Say something... please," she moved her hand to hold his and gasped in surprise when he pulled his hand away from her. "Tig."_

 _"This will... never work," He whispered before starting the car. With her hand resting against her stomach; all Lana could do was stare out the window in disbelief. "You're an asshole, you know that?" His words caught her by surprise, but when she opened her mouth to respond, he cut her off. "You should have told me." Lana turned to respond, but the anger seeped from his gaze. "Instead you let me pine over you, and treat you like... like.."_

 _"I was trying to figure out who my mother was to this **damn** club." Her voice was harsh, hormones maybe? "Clay didn't even know I existed... I didn't know he existed." She glanced down at his hand settled on the center counsel of the car. It took everything not to reach out and take a hold of it. Making him finish what he made her feel at the start of their trip up to Oregon. _

_"When did you find out?" His tone was cold, and it broke her heart. Was there some kind of club rule? What changed in the past half hour? He moved his hand up to the wheel and Lana turned to look out the window. " WHEN DID YOU FIND...OUT? You didn't know who he was, but ever since we met ya - you've been hanging around MY club."_

 _Lana jumped a little when he raised his voice. "Th... the night Clay shot me." Nothing. "I heard him tell the EMT that he was my father... again in the hospital. He visited me once and I pretended I was sleeping. he confessed everything... to knowing my mom, loving her... being my father. Shooting me."_

Their conversation had continued the entire car ride back to Charming and that was the last time Lana had spoken to Tig. He'd made every attempt not to speak to her since returning home. If she was at the clubhouse, he'd leave. If Clay invited her out with the guys, he wouldn't come out. In the clubhouse Lana sits at the bar with the rest of the Cro eaters while the guys are inside the chapel talking about how they're going to fund their trip to Belfast.

Inside the chapel, Clay suggests Jax ask Tara to help them move some of their recently acquired prescription drugs. Jax refuses and the table all continue to shoot out ideas. "What about Lana? You know she's loaded right?" Juice pipes in, but the looks that both Piney and Tig give shuts down any further ideas he is willing to offer.

"Wouldn't be a bad idea to tap into the senators money," Chibs pipes in with a laugh.

"No," Tig finally spoke up. His tone was cold, he was annoyed and he cleared his throat giving Clay a look. Wondering if he'd even bother telling him about Lana. Wondering if Jax knew. Knowing the Mayans have a scheduled heroin run later in the day Clay decides to hijack the shipment. He didn't want to risk involving Lana or Tara for that matter more than they had to.

* * *

In the SAMCRO chapel the guys vote to accept three new prospects; they also approve Happy's transfer from the Nomads. They vote on accepting Kozik's transfer, but Tig's "Nay" vote puts an immediate end to the matter. Once everything spills out into the clubhouse - Lana watches as everyone celebrates Happy's transfer. She gives Clay a soft smile and hands Piney a drink before moving past the guys to leave. Clay encourages Kozik to stick around anyway. Kozik attacks Tig, and they brawl while the others watch in amusement.

Lana watches both men fight before motioning to Jax for a minute. "Heard a lot of yelling in there," she smirked before walking outside into the sunlight. She gives a playful nudge and sighs. "Sounded serious."

"Nothing you need to worry about darlin'" the way Jax spoke brought an instant grin to her face. He was smooth, she had to give him that. "How was your trip back home? Tig ain't telling anybody what it was all about. You turn him down _or_ what?" Now the playful jab was returned in her favor and she couldn't help but take a hold of his arm as he walked her to her car.

"I can help you know," She sighed again - if not because she knew the refusal would be coming quickly in refute. He gives her a look, as if to challenge how she even knew they needed help, or hers. With an eye roll she sighs. "I have ears like an elephant... and I was listening by the door."

"You and my mother are one in the same." He gives her a side eyed smirk before reaching past her to open the car door. "You know that right?"

"Believe it or not, that's the best compliment I've heard all week."

"Lana."

"Jax." they stand there in silence and he smirks a little. She playfully pokes at his chest and gets him to smile, which in turn brings one across her own face. Just then Lana watches the guys pile out of the clubhouse. She and Tig exchange a quick glance before she turns her attention back to Jax.

"You're going to make it difficult to say no to you, aren't you?" Her grin grew wider, and Jax had to give this one to her. She brought out a playful side of him - he didn't know existed anymore. "Dinner tonight?"

"Pick me up at 8?" Leaning forward Lana places a sweet kiss against his cheek and when she pulls away she gives a look. "... at best, worst case scenario - I can help. I want to help."

* * *

With their sentencing nearing closer - everyone at the clubhouse were growing more and more agitated - which explained why Jax never showed up for dinner. Lana had tried hard to keep up with her normal routine; but even that was getting old. A failed attempt to fill the void of Gemma not being there. The irreplaceable quiet that usually filled the room while she drank her morning coffee at the bar. Lana carefully fulled the cups of whatever Samcro members staggered in. This wasn't working - it wasn't working for anybody.

A few minutes later at the clubhouse Tara came storming in and Lana was quick to stall her. "Hey, you okay?" She had heard that Jax had ended things with her, but getting either of them to talk about it was like talking to two proverbial brick walls.

"Jax here?" Tara gives a look and Lana nods her head.

"Yeah," She sighs, "I think he slept here last night. Everything alright?"

"You tell me?" Before Lana could get in another word Tara whips around the corner and is again stopped. She looks the burly man up and down when he calls out to her.

"Tara," Opie tries hard to deflect, but shit - he's not good at this. "He's not in there." Reaching up he rubs the back of his neck and Tara knows that to be one of his tells. He was lying to her. She didn't know what she expected from Opie. His loyalty would always be with Jax, but she was his damn friend too. She grew up with him too.

"Where is he?" Tara obliged, already knowing he was in his room. She knew Jax, she knew him better than anybody in this damn clubhouse. He was more translucent than he could ever hope to be. "He didn't come home last night."

"Not sure." Tara leaves Opie standing there and opens the door to Jax's bedroom and is shocked to discover that he spent the night with Ima. She stares at him trying to process all of this for a second before finally leaving. It could have been anybody - it could have been anybody, and he chose the porn star. She was fuming and had to get as far away from this damn clubhouse before she did something she'd regret.

Lana rushes out after her and sees she's already driving away. "Great." Ima comes out and stands next to Lana with a smirk on her face. Lana turns to get a good look at her and shakes her head. "I tolerate Lyla because she's Opie's girl," the two of them exchange looks. "We're not friends, and if I see you around this clubhouse again trying to get your pussy pounded - I'll stick your head so far u..."

"Ladies, ladies..." Interrupting Lana before she could finish her threat, Tig puts his arm around both of them. "as much as I'd like to see you two in a pudding match here in the parking lot - I'm going to need you." He pushes Ima a little, "to get the hell out of here. Trash is that way, and you...Lana," He presses a hard kiss against the side of her head. "to chill the fuck out. What _is_ the matter with you?"

* * *

"I have nothing to say to you." Lana said pushing him away from her and walking back into the garage. Tig quickly followed after her and reached out for her hand in an attempt to stop her. "Leave me alone Tig."

"Oh come on," he laughed. Smelling the whiskey on his breath - Lana made a disgusted face. "What do you think you're doing? Trying to get in a fight with that walking STD over there, huh?" Tig looked down at his hand still holding on to hers tight and brought her closer to him. "It's a lot to take in baby. You and Clay..." Lana could feel his breath hit her lips and wanted for everything in him to kiss her.

"How do you think I feel?" Lana whispered, "People find out I'm Clay's daughter and I'm bait to every single enemy this club has ever made." Tears swelled in her eyes and she shook her head. "You keep pushing me away. You keep making these promises and then you push me away." She moved her hands up now to hold his face towards hers. She softly touches the bruises made by Kozik the day before and leans up to press a kiss against them.

"Lana... baby," Tig whispered moving towards her touch. He slowly brings his hands up the sides of her body and wraps his arms around her torso. He moves his lips to brush against hers and he's so close he breathes in her air. He needed to be able to trust her - fuck, he didn't trust himself around her as it was. Now that he knows she's Clay's daughter. He'd forbid it. Tig became stuck in his thoughts for a moment that he didn't hear Juice call out to him. Lana broke their kiss and pulled back; Tig's hands still holding her close.

"Uhm, Clay wants everyone in the chapel... We got some shit with T.O. going on." Juice stares at both of them for a second and his eyes go wide when he realizes something's going on between them. Tig was dead. Clay was going to kill Tig. Fuck. Tig took a step back and gave as little verification that he'd heard Juice as possible. He brings Lana's hand to his lips and presses his lips against them. They were leaving for Ireland tomorrow. Jail after that. This shit. It never ended.

"Jesus Christ."

* * *

At the garage the Sons prepare to leave for Oswald's plane; Jax, Clay, Lana and Tig go to say goodbye to Gemma. Lana was there more or less as support for Gemma. She knew how hard it would be for Gemma to say goodbye to the guys; Jax and Clay especially. Lana had planned to tell Gemma everything once the guys were in Ireland. Not that she'd be delivering new information. In her gut - she had a feeling Gemma knew exactly who she was. Still, she softened towards Gemma. A mother she'd always wanted - a friend she'd always hoped to have. Maybe once everyone had returned from Ireland she'd tell them all too. No more secrets.

In the hospital Gemma convulses in her bed; Tara says her temperature has spiked, and they rush her into an ice bath. Unbeknownst to anybody else - the two of them had planned this all along. Lana watches along with everyone else in terror that something awful had happened to her.

As soon as the coast is clear, Gemma stops her act; moments later Tara leads Gemma towards an exit. Gemma calls Jax, and brings him up to speed: she's going with them to help find her grandson. Jax isn't pleased, but knows he is unable to dissuade his mother. The hospital's security alarms begin to sound. Margaret Murphy confronts Tara about Gemma's disappearance; Tara says Gemma pulled a gun, and forced her to aid in the escape. Margaret knows the story is a lie, but after Tara explains everything about the kidnapped Abel, she plays along. Tara wasn't doing this for Jax - she was doing all of this for Abel. For her family. For Gemma. For the club.

Moments Gemma emerges from the hospital's service entrance; Jax, Clay, Lana and Tig are waiting for her. They begin to leave but Unser is there to stop them; he pulls his gun, but they call his bluff. Annoyed, Gemma gives Unser a knowing look. "You gonna shoot me Wayne?" Tig pulls his gun on Unser and Unser pulls back some. Gemma shakes her head, "Traitor."

Jax, Clay, and Gemma get in the tow truck while Tig drives away in Tara's Cutlass; after they leave, Unser calls in and reports the escape. The two vehicles pull off the road; Jax, Clay, and Gemma climb into the Cutlass while Tig volunteers to drive the suspect tow truck in order to lead the cops astray.

In the hospital the Feds question Tara and Lana who were both witnesses to what had happened; Tara sticks to her story, and Margaret backs her up. Lana - still confused by it all follows suit and repeats most of what Tara had already attributed to the story. As Tig leads the cops on a wild-goose chase, the Sons rendezvous at Oswald's hangar; Clay talks to SOA Belfast charter president McGee.

Charming is on their way to Ireland.


	21. Chapter 21 - A change of pace

After receiving word that the boys had made it safely to Ireland - Chuckie passes along another message from Clay. The business with the Irish was the business with the Irish. They still had a lot to take care of at home. Back in Charming, Tig was still sitting in a jail cell waiting for someone to post his bail. To his surprise - it wasn't Kozik or one of the prospects that came to his rescue; but, Tara and Lana instead. Lana followed Unser into his office and Tara waited with Tig while an officer unlocked his cell.

"Lana, you mind telling me what that stunt was all about?" Unser gave a pleading look. He was knee deep in the shit as much as they were. The club, Clay and Gemma rather; making it increasingly harder to turn a blind eye. The hospital stunt was the last straw for him. He had to put his foot down. Had to do his job. The badge didn't mean shit anymore. He had hoped by asking Lana - that she'd show some allegiance to the law, and Hale.

"I don't know what you're talking about Wayne." Lana turns to grab a picture off of his desk. It was one in Hale's office - of the both of them. Long before she ever came to Charming. She smiles softly before looking up at him. "I was just as surprised as you were. Shit, they don't tell me anything. I was dating Superman, _remember._ This is a good picture of you two." She held it up to show him as if he'd never seen it before. "I always thought he hated you, but he looks so happy."

The both of them sat there in silence and Unser mused to himself the memories he had left of Hale. Here was his would-be widow; signing release papers for a Samcro member. He had a hard time believing her statement; and it made him a little sad. "I told Tara this earlier, and it bares repeating..." He sits up from his chair and clears his throat. "The FBI will be talking to the hospital personnel about Gemma's escape... and all the people involved." Lana gives a look of indifference and he continues."If you maybe _forgot_ to tell us something in your statement."

"I didn't," Lana turns to Tara and Tig now at the door and gives a heavy sigh back at Unser behind the desk. "Like I said, I had no idea Gemma was planning on escaping. Everything I said was the truth. You're free to believe what you want. Can we go?"

"Yeah, yeah you guys can go, but uhh Tig. I should probably tell you that your license has been suspended because of the car chase you created when Gemma got away." Lana gets up from her chair while Tig groans and complains about not being able to ride; and Lana hands Unser the picture of he and Hale. "He really loved you and the person you were becoming in Charming. Don't tarnish what he saw in you now that he's dead." Lana goes pale and looks at him in shock.

"Alright, we're done here." Tig reaches for Lana's arm and pulls her towards the door before giving Unser an annoyed look. Once Tara and Lana are out of the office he shakes his head with a finger pointed at Unser. "You can be a real asshole, you know that?"

"Get out of my office Tig."

* * *

Tara had quickly decided hiding in Jax's house was the last place she wanted to be; and found herself joining Lana at the Clubhouse. She really did envy how easy it came to Lana. To just ignore everything going on and pretend to be Gemma. _Maybe_ she wasn't pretending to be Gemma though, which was a scary thought in itself. Still, she couldn't help herself from admiring the woman; knowing the truth that so few did.

"Hey Tara - how are you holding up?" Kozik spread his arms and pulled the brunette in for a hug. Tara let out a sigh and perched her lips closed. "Who's your friend? I've seen her around here quite a bit." Both of them stare at Lana converse with Chuckie and when they make eye contact - he gives a wave. "Introduce me."

"What? No." Tara looked almost perplexed in her response before holding in laughter. "I'm **not** doing that." Before she had any say in the matter though Kozik was already heading over to where Lana was. Tara saw that Tig was not far away though and for once really sat back to enjoy the show that would eventually transpire. She never really found the humor everybody else did in what happened within the club.

Lana continues her gabfest with Chuckie about the rest of Hale's things since he'd be helping her now that Juice was in Ireland. She's interrupted by Kozik and gives an equally amused face when he extends his hand and introduces himself to her. "Yeah, yeah I know. We didn't get to meet but I saw you in here a few days ago." Lana smiles, and Kozik can't help but return the gesture - she was cute. "Lana. How long are you here for?"

"Forever if you're here." Kozik can't help but laugh. He knew his lines were cheesy as hell, but the laugh that escaped Lana's lips were justification that cheesy was welcomed. "Sorry. My bad... I know how dumb that sounds."

Still smiling, Lana dismissed his apology. "Please don't apologise. After the past few weeks I've had - I need cheesy comments like that in my life." Tara arched a brow at that and gave Lana a knowing look.

"Lana used to be Hale's girl." Tara spoke up before joining Lana and Kozik at the bar. "Until the club got him killed." Immediately regretting saying that, Tara apologized, but encouraged Chuckie to pour her a drink. Might as well right?

"Oh shit," Kozik whispered - his entire expression changed and Lana looked away. Another person with an opinion of who they think she is without actually knowing. "I heard about Hale man, sorry to hear that. I didn't put two and two together I guess. I didn't really know him. You changed your hair." He could see Lana's demeanor change and knew it was a sensitive subject, or still very fresh.

"What?" Lana brushed her raven hair behind her ear and glanced up at him.

"It was red. That's why I didn't recognize you. You colored it dark - It looks nice." Kozik gave a soft apologetic smile and cleared his throat. "So Lana... you ride?" She shakes her head in response and his eyes light up. "I can teach you. Today even, I can teach you today!"

"You know what?" Lana smiles from ear to ear and then glances over at Tig - who was still so damn cold towards didn't even have the energy to figure out his reasons this time. "Why the hell not. Let's go!"

Outside, Lana follows behind Kozik while he rambles on and on about the different kinds of motorcycles that all of the guys in the club drive. She had to be honest that none of this really made any sense to her. She also didn't care much about cars, or bikes for that matter. What Unser had said to her in the station had more of an effect on her than she realized. "Whatever," the response was to her own thoughts, but when Kozik looked up at her; she panicked. "Uhhh, Sorry. A lot going on up here today." She motioned to her head and gives a weak smile.

Kozik, confused just brushes it off. "So tell me about yourself Lana. I know you're nobody's old lady here - why are you here?" The question came off as abrasive, at best - Lana straightened her posture and cleared her throat. Kozik patiently waited for a response, but she wasn't really sure if he actually deserved one. He wasn't _even_ a real member of the club. Not until they voted him in, anyway. "You're not a cop are you?"

" ** _Seriously_**?" That question annoyed her more and more every time she heard it. "No, I'm not a cop." Rolling her eyes before hopping up on the picnic table. "You know about Hale."

"Yeah, I know about Hale..." Kozik sits down next to her and clasps his hands together before turning to speak to her. "But I also know that my boy Tig looks at you like I've never seen him look at nobody. You didn't hesitate to come out here with me."

"...you just beat the shit out of each other two days ago." Perplexed, Lana couldn't help but laugh. "I'm nobody's old lady - you were right about that. Tig, he doesn't see me like you guys all seem to think; at least, not anymore. Shit got too complicated, too fast." Kozik gives a rub on her arm and smiles against her. "And, I didn't come out here to get _closer_ to you." The sarcasm in her voice was as evident as possible. Hopping off the table, she looks back with a smirk, "no offence; but dumb blondes aren't my type."

* * *

Mid stuffing pizza in her mouth - Lana turned when she heard a knock on her front door. She glanced over at the sleeping Tara and Lyla and then checked for her gun. Her gun. Who _was_ she. There was a time in her life where she'd been afraid to handle guns on her own and now she'd owned one. The club had completely transformed her... in a lot of ways; fearing for who was on the other side of the door was one of them. It'd been a long day for the women. The situation at hand bringing them all closer together. _Girls night_ , Lana mused before another knock on the door brought her quickly back. She took a quick glance behind the curtain and gripped the gun to her side with a heavy sigh.

"I saw you in the window," the voice outside called. Looking back at the girls asleep on her couch; Lana slowly opened her door. Her hand held the pistol close, and she was afraid she was trembling so much that he'd notice. "I'm not here to hurt you Lana, I promise."

"That's what you said the last time you were here and I ended up with a bullet in my god damned stomach." Her hands were trembling even more now and she held the gun up in and pointed it at his face. "I'll kill you this time."

"Lana, stop." The man moved closer and wrapped his fingers around the nose of the gun and slowly pulled it from her, before handing it back. He glanced behind her at two women sleeping and then motioned for another room. "You were in Oregon last week. You think that doesn't go unnoticed? I saw you in the damned security video outside of his gates. Dad would have... Besides, I had an investment deal here today - I just wanted to see..."

"He's not my father," Lana whispered before motioning for the kitchen. "What are you doing here Landon? What investment deal? You have no ties to Charming." Lana nervously drummed her hands softly against the counter and watched as her brother sat at her kitchen table. "One call to the club and you're dead. S..so you better start talking." She had to admit - she was curious why her brother would come all this way - if not for her - then what.

Dumbfounded by the statement, Landon's brow furrowed before he finally started to speak. "Who the hell are you? Lana. Jesus Christ. I saw you guys leaving the clinic and I followed you, okay. You don't think that dumb bimbo didn't call me the second she ran into you?" He rose from his chair and Lana moved back - wanting to face him at all times. "Lana - he's got all his guys watching for you. Ever since we were in Charming - you're on a shoot to kill order." He shakes his head, abeit sadly. "You know what he's capable of.

"I didn't go to Oregon to kill him. I didn't even come to Charming to get away from him, not really." Lana took a deep breath. "Mom had a lot of secrets Landon. All of them pointing here and..."

"Lan, you know he's untouchable. He can't die..."

Glancing up at his words, she was almost taken by surprise at the acclamation. "All men can die, Landon." Startled again by another knock on her door - Lana looks up and sees Tara standing in the kitchen doorway. Landon rises from his chair and moves to take a step towards Lana, but Tara moves in closer and he stops. Both women exchange a look and Lana moves forward and wraps her arms around her brother. "I promise when all of this is over - I'll find you, and I'll tell you everything.

"I called Tig." Tara warned and quietly watched as Lana showed her brother out of her home through the back door. She sighs and puts a reassuring arm on Lana's shoulder. "You okay?" Lana nods in response and lets out a heavy sigh. "I have to go to the hospital - I just didn't recognize the voice, I didn't know what to do." Tara stares blankly at the woman and then lets out a sigh when Tig and Kozik let themselves in, guns drawn.

"Yeah," Lana wiped her tears and straightened out; having recognized the look of fear in her brothers eyes. She called out to Tara who was gathering all of her things to leave. She moved aside when Tig and Kozik continued to search the house - no matter how much she tried to reassure them - it was nothing. "Hey Tara? Do you think people can change?"

"No," Tara responded - matter of fact - in tone. "I think we just get better at hiding who we really are."


	22. Chapter 22 - His name was Hale

**A/N:** Hey guys! I figured I should give a heads up - the next couple of chapters (ie... boys in Ireland during Season 3) are going to really dig a little deeper into our Lana. We'll finally get to see her hurt (and heal) from everything that's happened with Hale. I didn't want her to be some emotionless robot and grief is a real thing. This will also bring her a little closer to some members of the club, we see some friendships being formed with the girls and some cool stuff later on. It's a three part to bridge the gap of Ireland and them returning to Charming. Thanks for sticking with me - appreciate you guys!

* * *

Silence. Everything without the club was just quiet. It was a little unnerving. The girls had tried to fill the void by getting to know one another a little better. Some sharing a little more than others. In Lyla's defense - she's been calling pornstars and escorts her friends for the past decade so this was a huge step up for her. Like Tara, Lana remained more guarded - it wasn't exactly like she could casually bring up every truth she'd discovered since coming to Charming; she gave enough to avoid questions.

The morning following their little sleepover - all three women went their separate ways. Tara back to the hospital knowing Jax was in Ireland because of something she'd let happen. Lyla back to watching the kids; and Lana. Lana continued being lost. Or stuck in a life she'd been chasing ghosts in, seemed to be her thing lately. God she wished Gemma was here.

Sitting on the picnic table outside of the garage - Lana watched as Tig and Kozik talked to Piney. Reaching for her phone, the raven haired woman kept watch on the guys before dialing in a number. It rang twice before someone on the other end picked up, "Can you meet? Today... Yeah, sure... I'll be alone." She slowly hung up the phone and met Piney's inquisitive look with a smile of her own. "I've got to run into town for a bit. Few hours at least. One of the girls I used to bartend with out in Stockton needs my help."

Piney cocks a brow, "Thought you hated those tarts at the bar?" He groaned, it wasn't his business to understand how these women worked. Plus if it got her out of what was going on with the club - he wasn't going to question it. With Lana he was still trying to figure out where to step in, and when to step aside. He had his chance to be a father to Opie - and for some ungodly reason, he was given another one to be some sort of paternal figure towards Lana. "You need one of the prospects to go with you? After what happened at your house last night?"

"No," Her answer was blunt and quick. She hopped off of the picnic table and wrapped her arms around Piney. "Thanks though, but I think Ashley stole my boyfriend type shit is the last thing the club needs." She sighed when he held on to her - he gave the best hugs. Those hugs that felt like the person giving them really care about you. The ones you never really wanted to let go of. Lana pulled back and gave him a soft pat on the chest - she hated lying to him, to all of them. "I'll stay in touch."

"What... did happen at your place last night? Tig wasn't really clear." His brow arched, curious and Lana gave a shrug to avoid answering and showed herself off the lot.

* * *

There's a small diner just outside the Charming city limits. The building is surrounded by trees and very little people went there at any time of the day. The eyes that watched and and the little birds that reported back to Charming PD, Samcro and whoever else dealt in the business of information. They weren't privileged enough to hear what goes on inside of those diner walls. Lana had found her sweet spot for secrecy and smiled to herself having originally meeting Hale here so many months ago. Still a little paranoid about someone seeing her that probably shouldn't - she gives a cautious look around before entering the diner.

"Took you long enough," the man said in a calm voice before bringing his cup of coffee to his mouth. Lana stared at him in awe, her memory of being here with Hale almost paralyzing her. Her conscious quickly made her realize this wasn't Hale she was meeting here though; but, her brother. "You weren't followed?"

The question brought forth a smirk and Lana took a seat across from him. "You mean, do I have Samcro waiting outside of the diner prepared to kill you?" Lana licked her chapped lips and her smirk settled in as a smile, a genuine smile. "No. I wasn't followed. I'll have green tea." Lana said all in the same breath handing over her menu to the elderly woman there to take her order. "Thank you."

Landon watched her and couldn't help but note how grown up she'd become. This wasn't the same Lana he'd known a year ago, let alone a few months ago when he'd joined his father on a trip to Charming. He had to admit, even he was curious why she'd agreed to meet with him though. The siblings sat silent at the table for several moments before finally Landon cleared his throat to speak. "So did you find it?"

"Find what?"

"Whatever it is you were looking for here in Charming?" Landon gave a curious look, still not sure what "it" really was. His big sister was always chasing ghosts. Finding these unsolvable problems. Making even bigger ones. It was the only thing he really liked about her. Probably what he envied the most as well. She had the courage he lacked, and her resolve was worth mentioning as well.

Lana stared up at him and nodded her head in response, "Yeah. Yeah I did Land... and thensome." Lana continued on and told her brother everything with tears threatening in her eyes; to tears making it hard to get a word out. She told him about finding those pictures, to the picture that brought her to Charming. She told him about meeting a Charming local and wanting to do good by him. She didn't know why she withheld Hale's name, or that she'd fallen in love with a cop, but she did. To Agent Stahl almost ruining that for them. She told him about the club, not their business, but the brotherhood of the club. She told him about her love dying. She told him about Gemma and her friendship with their mother. Then she told him about Clay. Everything about Clay. She told him... **everything**.

It was the first time since she'd come to Charming that she could be absolutely 100% honest. Landon watched his sister, in disbelief until she provided proof from her purse. Still, even seeing it with his own eyes - it was hard to believe, but a huge missing piece to the puzzle that was their lives. Explained why their father was always so unkind to her. He had to have known since the beginning. Seems like it anyway.

In good faith - Landon also had a lot to share with his sister. His reasoning behind coming back to Charming this time around was nothing short of obvious. He had been checking up on his sister. His father had a lands-deal in place with several figure heads in Charming. Zobelle... and Jacob Hale. Lana's curiosity peaked at the mention of Hale's name. Their financial dealings her 'father' had in place with Jacob could potentially hurt Samcro. "... so when Jacob started to have second thoughts on the deal; our fath... the Senator had to send him a message." Landon glanced up and shrugged his shoulders. "Shit got bad fast, it's part of why I want to get out Lan."

"What do you mean?" Lana followed every single word, and she could feel her heart beating through her chest. You couldn't send a message to Jacob Hale without taking something away from him. He was ruthless.

"I didn't _know_ he was going to kill a cop. I don't even think he **knew** that." Landon's voice was shaky and he leaned in to whisper, but nobody was even around to hear him. Lana looked around nervously and her eyes welled with tears. "Dad sent some Calaveras MC after Hale, some Mexican. I don't know. He was just supposed to rough him up - give Jacob a rude awakening... keep him in check, but the guy had some beef with Samcro.. two birds I guess. The guy died though, and that wasn't supposed to happen. I'm a lieutenant now in Oregon for christs sake. Dad's retired."

"The **GUY** has a name, Landon," Lana looked up at him and she was so upset that she couldn't even cry. "That guy you keep mentioning, his name was David Hale." Pushing herself up from her seat she glanced down at him and pierced her lips shut to give a thought before speaking. "His name was Hale."

* * *

"...So in exchange for Zobelle backing his senatorial chair - both he and Landon would help fund the lands deal here in Charming with Jacob Hale. He owns half of this fucking city already. They start construction pretty soon, like literal weeks. They're going to do away with Charming PD, all of it. They've been funding it since the beginning. Hal... Jacob has been gunning for Samcro since the beginning. Landon wants out, but nobody will let that happen willingly. Especially after they sent Calaveras after Samcro..." Lana swallowed hard having just given all this information and she had to admit - even without Clay or Jax there - sitting at the table with Kozik, Tig, Piney and the prospects was nerve wracking. Landon had told her about Jacob Hale's plan to take Charming away from Samcro - and the club was the first place she brought that information.

"Do you know how dangerous it was meeting with that piece of shit brother of yours?" Tig pointed his finger across the table at her and she could hear the anger with every word. "I mean really? How irresponsible can you be?"

"Excuse me?" Lana shot back, "I was trying to help! **YOU** guys," she points at Kozik and Tig, "You wanted to figure out who beat up Lumpy - well there ya go! Jesus."

"It's not that we don't appreciate the inte.." Kozik starts off, but is interrupted by Tig once more.

"You just can't help yourself can you? You always have to be in this shit. Who the hell even told you about Lumpy? Because I want them gone. Was it you old man?" Tig stands up and points over at Piney, whose response is an eyeroll and a sigh before motioning for everyone to leave.

"Nobody told me about it Tig. I watch the news just like everybody else. I know Lumpy's place was broken into and I know he's in the hospital now because he was basically beaten to death. I know that when shit goes south in this damn town - it usually leads to this goddamn club!" Lana is now pissed, and is pointing her finger back at Tig. "SO get off of your damn high horse because you're an **asshole**!"

"Yeah, well you sound just like Hale, and look what happened with him." Tig shoots back and it's one of those statements that you instantly regret saying, but can't take back. The room fell quiet and Lana stood up and nodded her head in response. "Lan, I'm sorry."

"This club got him killed - if I were Jacob - I'd want to bring you down too." Her response was cold, and uncaring.

"Oh for the fucking love of God," Tig stood up and screamed at her. "Yes, please remind us once again how he died and it was our fault because I don't think I've blamed myself for it enough today!" Piney had already excused himself and made the prospects leave the room. Kozik finally being the last to leave. "You think we don't feel bad about Hale? Huh?"

"Do you?" Lana challenged before folding her arms across her chest. "I bought a gun.."

Clapping his hands wildly, he moves to her side of the table." Oh, you bought a gun! WOOOO!" he was louder and more obnoxious this time and sat at the edge of the table where Jax usually sat. "You broke your promise. You told me you wouldn't go near your brother or your fath... He could have _killed_ you." Tig's tone had softened and he moved in closer towards her.

"He didn't."

"WHAT IF HE HAD, HUH?!" Tig wiped his face out of frustration and stared her down. Why did he care about her so much. "You broke your promise to me that you'd stay away from them. From this."

Lana let her guard down and swallowed hard before moving closer to him. She brings her hand up to his cheek and caresses it before pulling it away. "He's my brother, not some other man who made an enemy out of this club. I'm not going to apologize for going to meet him. I'm not your old lady." She slowly walked towards the door before turning back to face him. "I know the club didn't kill Hale, Tig; but I still can't get past the fact that you guys are the reason he's dead."

When Tig looked up and finally decided to speak, she was gone.


	23. Authors Note

**AN** : Hey guys! Long time no write. I have to be honest here - mostly in part to the fact that you guys have welcomed me back to this world with open arms. I appreciate you all. No, I am not quitting and I fully intend to finish writing this story. However when I first started - I had acquired a third shift job (that I hated) and this was something to pass the time. I'm 100% committed to finishing it - BUT the perfectionist I am, am not willing to do so until I go back and rework some kinks in it. I also am only working ONE full time job and it's done wonders for my sleep brain.

Chapters 1 and 2 have currently been rewritten as others are currently in the process of. (Will likely have 3, 4, and 5 done before tonight)

This filler, or authors note - if you will - will eventually be replaced with the next chapter. It's been very emotional for me to write as it pertains to grieving over a loved one. It's incredibly personal and painful and I just want to make it perfect and do the characters voices justice.

I truly appreciate all the nice comments and private messages. The story WILL continue.

xoxo

CheekyTrevelyan

* * *

 **Next Chapter:**

Lana betrays the clubs trust and confides in Unser in regards to what really happened with Hale.

Another argument ensures among the club and its members.

A grief stricken Lana and Tig finally share an intimate moment. (NSFW)

Tara is missing. (I will probably shy away from what actually happened on the series and play with it a bit.)

Gemma and Clay discuss his infidelity with Lana's mother and we discover how long she's known the truth.

Unser and Lana mourn Hale.


End file.
